


Bella's New Moon

by Mweir1990



Series: Stephanie Meyers Reimagined [2]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Canon, Book: New Moon, F/F, F/M, Vampires, Were-Creatures, Women Being Awesome
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-21
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:01:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 67,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26028409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mweir1990/pseuds/Mweir1990
Summary: The continuation of the Stephanie Meyers Reimagined Series. Bella's birthday is looming right around the corner. Alice and the rest of the Cullen's/Denali's are happy to celebrate; but Bella...not so much. There is also another uninvited guest hiding in the shadows. What will happen? What events will transpire? Read and find out. PS: There may be a few WLW scenes in this story so if that's not your thing...Sorry (not sorry)
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Bella Swan, Carlisle Cullen/Esme Cullen, Edward Cullen/Tanya, Emmett Cullen/Rosalie Hale, Irina/Laurent (Twilight)
Series: Stephanie Meyers Reimagined [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1684147
Comments: 49
Kudos: 102





	1. Chapter 1

Time for a human goes by much faster than it does for a vampire. Mere mortals grow old and grey while the supernatural remains the same beautiful creatures that they are. No one understands that better than Bella Swan. A few months after the fateful day that Alice and the rest of the Cullen's saved her from the Nomad human blood sucker, James; her birthday looms right around the corner. Bella hates the fact that she will grow older than her girlfriend, Alice in a few short years. It seemed like only yesterday that she was a tiny girl running around the back yard with her friends Rachel, Rebecca, and Jacob. Now, she knew, everything was going to change.

One night, while Alice and her family were out on a hunting trip, she dreams. She dreams that she is alone in the field that Alice had brought her. She is standing there and is looking all around for any sign of another being; any sign at all that she is not terribly alone. Bella walks toward the tree line, but is blocked by a covered panel. The material looks soft and plush, and as she touches it, she sighs in comfort.

Curious as to what is under the tarp, Bella pulls it down to reveal a mirror underneath. At first the glass only shows her reflection as it is now. The young and supple skin of a teenager. A young adult that has the entire world before her. Over mere moments however, her image begins to change. Wrinkles cover her face, her hair turns grey, and her posture begins to weaken. Her once bright green turquoise eyes fade with age and pain. Bella feels the pain in her back and joints and when she looks down at her hands, away from the mirror, she finds them to look exactly like her reflection.

Her eyes well with tears as she begins to see that she is going to die. Then she feels a comforting presence next to her. She feels a cold hand grasp her warm wrinkly one, and it's all she could do to hold back the tears. Bella turns her gaze to the beautiful being next to her. It is none other than her girlfriend, her savior, Alice Cullen. Perfect as ever, the vampire lifts Bella's old hand to her soft lips and kisses her gaunt knuckles.

"Happy birthday, Bella."

As the scene fades outward, the reflection in the mirror only shows Isabella in her elderly state. No Alice, no Rachel, no one next to her as her existence begins to fade away.

________________________________________________

Bella wakes up from the nightmare with a jolt. Finding the familiar sight of her bedroom, she sighs with relief and plops back down backward onto the mattress. Her hair ruffled from the pillow is still the chestnut brown it has always been. The teen puts her hands to her face searching for any wrinkles or any other imperfections, but finds none.

_"I can't."_

She thinks to herself remembering the vivid dream she had just woken from. The feelings within her were hard to describe. Bella knows that it is the way of the world to grow old and die eventually. Every one does; but not vampires like the Cullen's, not Alice.

What would happen to them once she had died? What pain would their hearts endure? She didn’t want that fate for them. She didn’t want them to watch her grow old and sickly. Bella wanted to be turned into a vampire so desperately. She wanted it more than anything. Recalling the feeling of James's venom working its way through her system, she looked at the scar on her forearm. The white half-moon mark still bore a heavy burden for Bella as well as Alice.

The pixie was the one who had sucked the burning liquid out of her bloodstream, and while she was thankful to not be turned by that monster, Bella would've done anything to stay the way she was now. To be immortal like the rest of the Cullen's. A screeching noise came from the side of her bed, and that's when the teenager realized that she had woken up before her alarm.

It was a rare feat but it did happen on days like today. Her nightmares were growing more vivid, but they were becoming less and less violent with each passing day. Sitting up on the bed, Bella looked outside her window and saw the grey clouds of her now ever day life. It was a small comfort to know that her chosen vampire family would be at school today.

Bella ruffled her bed head of hair and got up to get dressed for the day. Sure, Alice would most likely want to pick out her outfit, but the pixie vamp wasn’t here. So Bella went to her closet and picked out her attire. When finished, she got her favorite leather jacket and put it on.

A knock at the door echoed through the room and she groaned lightly. It was her father Charlie coming to wish her a happy birthday. The man meant well, but still, today was just a reminder that she was growing older. It was a hard pill to swallow, but she opened the bedroom door and saw her dad at the other side.

"Hey Bells. Happy birthday." His voice was gruff and shallow from lack of sleep.

Still dressed in his police uniform, Charlie held out his hand to give Bella her birthday card. He didn’t know what she had wanted for her birthday, so a fifty dollar bill was tapped to the inside cover of the card. It was a sweet gesture and the message made her giggle. The father and daughter relationship between those two was perfect. Bella and her dad were basically the same person; soft spoken and sometimes shy, few words were needed to convey what they were feeling.

Bella went forward and hugged the tired police chief around the waist.

"Thanks Dad; I really appreciate it."

She leaned back and looked at his haggard appearance. He really looked like he could use some sleep. Bella released her father and patted him on the shoulder before letting him go back to his bedroom. A few moments after the door clicked shut, the teenager could literally hear her Charlie's body hit the mattress. He groaned thankfully and his loud snores rang in her ears.

Smiling, Bella walked down the stairs and fixed herself a quick breakfast before going to her truck. She could see the once faded red of the paint was now bright and vibrant. Taking her phone out of her jacket pocket, she texted the now familiar number of her best friend, Rachel Black. The Quileute was the mechanic in the family and taught her little brother everything she knew. Jacob was taking to it like a natural. So as she looked at the cherry red paint job on her truck, she texted them.

B: Thanks for the new paint job :).

She then pocketed the phone again and walked over to the driver side door.

Driving to school was a relaxing mechanism for Bella. It was a way to clear her mind over everything that had happened in her dream the night before. What did it all mean? She knew that dreams came with a small touch of truth. So the more she thought about it, the more she came to realize that there was a tiny chance that Alice wouldn’t make her a vampire.

However small it may be, that one fact dwelled in her heart the entire short trip to the school parking lot. Forks High was where her life seemed to really begin. It's where she met her friends Jessica, Mike, Angela, Eric. They were certainly a perk for coming to live here in the small town.

Over the summer, she also got a job at a sporting goods store that Mike's father owned. It was a great part time job. She earned a decent wage and her schedule was manageable. She even got over her clumsiness too. Bella trained her body while stocking products to not drop anything or trip over any baseball bats or golf putters that a customer had left off of the shelf. Bella was thankful to Mike for recommending her for the position.

Going to her spot on the far side of the parking lot, Bella spotted her lunch gang over by Tyler Crowley's van. That hulking piece of metal; she sighed at the memory of almost being pummeled by the vehicle. Alice Cullen however, raced to save her and the rest is now history. She greeted her friends and Jessica and Angela hugged her while she high fived the boys. It was a great little clique that they had formed over the past few months.

Moments pass and the group of friends talk about what they had done over the weekend. Mike finally figured out that Jessica had a super big crush on him; so he also finally asked her out on a date. It went off without a hitch and the two were now dating. Bella looked down at their clasped hands and congratulated the jock and cheerleader. While their relationship blossomed however, Angela and Eric's seemed to fizzle out.

They were cute together, but the spark wasn't there like they had thought. They broke up mutually over the summer. Thankfully they were still friends and there were no hard feelings between the two.

As if on cue, all of the student body still outside in the parking lot turned to the entrance of the tarmac and saw two fancy cars and one motorcycle pull in. Bella watched as the now familiar Volvo and Jeep stopped and parked. Edward got out of his car first, followed by Kate and Irina. Emmett released his seatbelt from the clip and hopped over the driver side door. Bella rolled her eyes at the display. Clearly her 'big brother' was showing off.

Rosalie got out of the passenger side door and Jasper exited the vehicle after his 'twin'. Tilting her head to the side in confusion, Bella wondered where her girlfriend was. Her jaw dropped moments later as the rider of the motorcycle removed the dark helmet covering their face. It was none other than Alice Cullen herself. The pixie vampire's hair grew out only slightly and it now covered her ears. It was a cute look for her and Bella couldn’t wait to run her fingers through it.

Alice shook out her hair making sure it wasn’t ruined by the helmet and placed the protection in her backpack. The small Cullen felt eyes of every student now on her. She suspected that they didn't expect her to be getting off of a motorcycle like this one. The Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-ROD was Jasper's baby, but he trusted Alice with it. With her ability to see the future, she knew that no harm would come to her or her mate as they rode on it.

"You have the hottest girlfriend ever." Angela whispered in Bella's ear, watching the pixie walk up to the group.

_'I know.'_ Bella thought to herself. She felt that if she spoke up, her voice would rattle the 'dream' she was in.

Bella knew that it wasn’t a dream, but every moment spent with Alice made her believe differently.

Alice stepped in front of Bella what seemed to be an eternity later, and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Hey Bella." She said.

The teenager blushed at the PDA but leaned forward to kiss Alice again anyway.

"How was your weekend?" Bella asked politely. She wanted to know everything that the family had gotten up to in the mountains; but she also knew that it would have to wait for later.

Alice just shrugged her shoulders in a non-committal response and held out her hand for Bella to take. Looking into Alice's amber eyes, she couldn’t help but comply. Bella Swan knew that from the moment that she and her girlfriend met for the first time, that she would be under her spell. She reached forward and grasped Alice's hand in her own. Holding hands with her really felt like coming home. Like belonging for the first time in a long time.

As the two girls walked up the steps leading to the main building of the school, Alice leaned her head on Bella's shoulder whispering.

"Happy birthday my love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Chapter down, however many more to go 😊✌.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People do some crazy things for their loved ones during their birthday. Lets see what school holds for the couple today.

It's not long until Bella and Alice reach the teen's locker. The newly turned 18 year old looks at the once metal door, only to find it wrapped in birthday wrapping paper and all sorts of other decorations. Bella couldn’t help but think of how cute it was and appreciate the effort her girlfriend had gone through.

"So this is why you didn’t meet me until this morning." Bella said with a knowing glint in her eye.

She fully turned toward Alice and put both hands on the pixie's waist, pulling her in. Alice only wrapped her arms around her mate's neck and smiled.

"I'll never tell. For all you know, Rosalie had a hand in this little operation as well."

Bella guffawed. 

"That's the worst lie I ever heard."

Bella thought about the icy blonde for a moment. Sure Rose's attitude towards her was a little tense and standoff-ish, but she had to admit that Rosalie did love her family very, very much. Speaking of the devil, Bella sees Rosalie walking toward her with Kate and Edward in tow. The four of them had chemistry together. Alice had AP writing and was excited to see where it would lead her.

Kate wove an arm in through Bella's and dragged her with the small group toward their class. Turquoise eyes widened as she felt herself almost fall over from the sheer force. Letting herself be pulled along, Bella looked back at her girlfriend and caught the kiss that Alice blew at her. She was sad that she was another year older, but being able to spend it with Alice and the rest of her friends was a great highlight.

_______________________________________________________

Class went great. Rosalie even wished her a happy birthday also but it was so quiet that Bella had to strain herself to hear it. Kate hugged her tightly and screamed it to the rest of the class that they had better be nice to her friend. Edward smiled at the interaction and sweetly wished her a happy birthday also.

Kate and Bella had sat next to each other in front of the Bunsen burner. As they were putting their elements together for the experiment, Kate whispered in her ear.

"Alice has a party planned for you tonight."

Upon hearing that, Bella groaned outwardly. It was so loud that the teacher had turned his gaze to her in warning. Bella blushed at being caught not concentrating on the task at hand. As much as she hated shopping, parties were another nightmare all together. She was not your typical run of the mill teenager. Nope, Isabella Marie Swan did not like all eyes on her. She didn’t like any unwanted attention. Bella barely made it through being the 'New Girl' last year.

"Why in God's name did she do that?"

She asked.

Kate laughed at Bella's reaction. She had to admit, Alice's mate was different from a lot of the other girls she had met over the centuries. Most girls were vain ad unrealistic in their dreams and realities; Bella on the other hand had a good head on her shoulders. She didn’t like attention, she didn’t care about other people's pasts; all that Bella had cared about was the here and now.

The human next to her never faulted any of them for their past misgivings. Alice had killed her father when she was first turned into a vampire, Laurent had fed off of human blood until about 20 years ago, and the Denali girls were even Succubae before joining with Carmen and Eleazar. All of that still left Bella kind and good. It amazed Kate in all honesty.

By the time chemistry had ended, Bella was looking at the clock, watching the seconds go by. She wanted to be near Alice again. She wanted to talk to her about the dream she'd had the night prior. It still shook her to think about. Would there be a time when the Cullen's would leave? Would Bella be left behind? She couldn’t bare that. This family had become such and instrumental part of her life. If it hadn't been for Alice and rest of the Cullen's, Bella would most likely be dead.

The shrill mechanical ring of the school bell sounded over the room. It echoed in her ear like a war horn. Bella bolted from the classroom, almost tripping when the front of her shoe kicked the door jam. Her body however had other ideas. She righted herself and kept walking toward the AP building. That’s where Alice would be.

Her feet took her as fast as they could before reaching the wooden door. Bella looked into the classroom, but it was empty.

"Did you come to carry my books?" Alice's voice called out from behind her.

Bella jumped before she turned around, looking at the smiling face of her girlfriend. Surging forward, she grasped the sides of Alice's face and kissed her forcefully; not caring about who would be watching. The girls briefly heard countless wolf calls and disgusted groans as their lips locked together. Bella was on the verge of deepening the kiss but was stopped when Alice leaned away from her.

The copper eyes of her lover were now a dark black. They were tinted with arousal and the vampire was making a sound between a purr and a growl as she took in the onlookers. Alice took Bella's hand and walked with her to a bathroom not far from where they currently were. There were a couple of posh popular girls fixing their make-up in the mirror in front of the bathroom sinks, but Alice quickly got them to leave.

"Get out." She hissed.

Seeing the small Cullen got the red-head and the brunette to leave in a hurry. Once they had gone, Alice went over to the door and turned the lock so that they would be alone. Bella shivered as she felt Alice's cold hands wrap around her waist. The chilly aura from her skin sent tingles down Bella's spine, and formed goosebumps on her arms. It was all part of what Bella loved about Alice; her passion, the feeling of her hands on her skin, the way she treated Bella with such care and devotion.

Bella wanted to convey how she felt for Alice in ways that people wouldn’t even dream of. She wanted to worship the pixie like the goddess that she was. Alice brought their lips together once more. Their tongues danced together like never before. Alice's fangs extended when Bella swiped her muscle across her gums.

Alice didn’t know what had come over her mate, but it was the time to stop before they didn’t have the chance too. The vampire had Bella's shirt in her hands, ready to tear it right down the middle. She was about to and could hear the fabric ripping ever so slightly. Gasping, Alice retreated backwards and breathed heavily through her mouth and nose.

The calming mechanism was beginning to work, but Bella kept looking at her with those sweet, slightly darkened, turquoise eyes. Those eyes were everything to her. Even before they had even met, they were a beacon of hope to the tiny Cullen. Alice knew that her self-control was fraying. Hearing the heartbeat roaring in her mate's chest was proof of that. Her mouth filled with the venom coated saliva, and she covered it with a cold hand.

The vampire should've seen this coming. She had the ability to see the future; but there were parts of her gift that were very unreliable. The way that humans changed their minds at the drop of a hat were the most frustrating and made her thoughts and visions almost a burden.

Slurping the fluid back into her system, Alice asked.

"Are you okay?"

It was an honest question, asked gently and with care. Alice didn’t understand humans sometimes. Even though she was once one herself, their ways of thinking had developed greatly over the years. She watched with her eyes now returning to their original shade of gold as Bella searched for an answer. It took a few moments for her to speak up.

"Are you gonna leave someday?"

The question rocked Alice to her very foundation. Her chest ached from the hurt in her mate's voice. She didn’t understand the question. How could Bella think that they would just up and leave her behind, especially after what had happened a few months ago. After her human found out what she and her family were, there was a time when Alice thought they might have to. Rosalie was certain that a move was now imminent and even started packing some boxes; but after time wore on, and the Cullen's secret was safe in Bella's hands they were certain that she had become a part of their strange, blended family.

Alice cautiously walked up to the young girl and put a cold hand on her cheek. It was still warm and flush from the heavy make out session they just had, but it was an endearing look on Bella. Moving her hand from Bella's cheek to her chin, Alice picked her mates head up so that they were now looking into each others eyes. Something must have happened while she and her family were gone for Bella to pose such a question to her.

"What happened?" She asked plainly.

Bella recounted her dream and it made Alice feel terrible. She knew that her mate had a hard time coming to terms that she would age. She knew that Bella wanted to be turned before she got too much older. Alice thought for a few moments, thinking about what Bella would miss out on if she were to be turned into a vampire here and now. Her 21st birthday and having a baby were two key and vital moments in a humans life that shaped who they would become. Alice didn’t want Bella to miss out on those, because once you underwent the change, you could no longer get drunk or have children.

She thought about Rosalie's regret and pain on the subject of having children. The blonde sister wanted to be a mother so bad. Maybe it was her upbringing that made her want such a thing, or maybe it was simply who Rose was at the time, but she sees Rosalie's face when they pass young couples with their babies or toddlers. Her once happy disposition, becomes sad and passive.

"I know what you want Bella, but I told you before; not yet."

"Why?" Bella had argued. Her voice was angry but her body language was sad and hurt by the response.

"I can't imagine a life without you or your family in it. I can't just sit by as you watch me wither away; I won't!" Bella spoke again.

This time however, the point that she was making rang true in Alice's ears. She couldn’t think of leaving Bella to die either. Of natural causes or otherwise. Bella was the one thing keeping her to this planet. Other than her family, Bella was her reason for living, for making this existence her own. Alice took this life as a vampire by the horns and wrestled with it for years. Her monstrous past and her primal nature always haunting her. Always mocking her in the back of her mind.

When Bella came along though, it was like she saw a beauty to being a vampire. It was like she saw a whole other outlook on her fate. If Alice had never been changed into the creature she was, she wouldn't have ever met Bella. The vampire leaned her forehead against her mate's and just concentrated on both of their breathing.

Just being with Alice made Bella relax and calm down. She knew that her insecurities were getting the better of her. She knew that this was not the place to be talking about such things. Not when other humans could be on the other side of that door trying to get in to relieve themselves.

"I know Bella. That won't happen. I promise." Alice spoke kindly and relaxed.

Bella in turn physically deflates upon hearing those words.

_"I promise."_

They repeated themselves in her ear over and over again.

Alice went over to the bathroom door and unlatched the lock. Human teenage girls at the front of it were dancing and twitching their legs waiting for whatever or who ever had locked the door to unlock it. Jessica Stanley was one of those girls. With scrunched eyebrows she looked at the Cullen angrily.

"Can't you do that on your own time?!" She yelled at Alice before running in and finding an open stall.

Then much like every other time before; Alice held out her hand. Bella had hoped against all hope, that her girlfriend would stay true to her promise. She had never gone back on one before, but there was a first time for everything. Even with vampires.

_____________________________________________________

The rest of the day dragged on without any incident. Bella ate lunch with her friends, even Kate joined the table following after Alice. The birthday girl blushed when Jessica came over and she fully expected her to blab to the table that her and Alice had a little 'alone time' in the locked bathroom. Jessica was silent however and Bella had been very grateful for that.

When it was time to go home after the last bell of the day, Bella walked over to her truck and waited for Alice to come and say goodbye. The Cullen did come over to the newly painted Chevy moments later kissing her girlfriend.

"That's a nice paint job you got there babe."

Bella laughed lightly and looked back at her vehicle.

"Yeah. It was a birthday gift from Rachel and her brother."

For a moment, Alice looked a little jealous at the thoughtful gift; but she knew that she had an ace up her sleeve. She would give Bella her present later at the party. Alice giggled and kissed her mate goodbye before putting on the helmet and straddling the motorcycle. The little show made Bella salivate just a little before she got in her own truck and drove home.

When she had arrived, Billy Black's truck was waiting in the driveway. She could tell that the native brought his son and daughter over to her house to wish her a happy birthday. Bella walked in the house and was instantly assaulted by an amazing smell. Rachel and Charlie were in the kitchen over the stove, stirring God only knows what in a large pot.

"What ever your cooking in here, just make sure my dad doesn’t hurt himself." Bella announced her presence as she entered the threshold. Taking off her backpack, she threw it haphazardly on the couch. Thankfully it was closed so that none of her schoolwork fell out of it.

"Oh har har, Bella." Charlie pointed a knife at his daughter jokingly. "I know where you go to school, and I know exactly how to embarrass you like you’ve never been before."

With a mischievous glint in her father's eye, she just smiled in return and laid herself on the couch. Billy was in the recliner chair next to her and Jake was sitting on the floor in front of her. He turned around and looked at her before asking.

"Did you like your present Bella? It was mostly my idea." Jake puffed out his chest with pride before his sister came over and whacked him in the back of the head.

"You little liar." Rachel had a wooden spoon in her hand and she wasn’t afraid to use it.

Walking back to her place in the kitchen, Rachel stirred the pot a couple more times before tasting whatever it was.

"Dinner's almost ready guys." She spoke over the volume of the television. There was some sort of T.V. show on that conveyed a little of the supernatural world. Buffy the Vampire Slayer it was called. The blonde who played the main character was kind of a bad ass. She looked like a drowned rat when she was wet though. This must have been that one episode where she 'died' and was revived by her best friend.

She rolled her eyes as Jake got up from his position and sat next to her on the couch. He picked up her feet and paced them across his lap. That was her cue to sit back up again, avoiding an awkward situation.

Bella could hear a pot of water boiling on the stove next to the large stock pot. Was it pasta and sauce that they were cooking. She loved homemade sauce and meatballs when they were placed over a bed of spaghetti. When the episode was over, Bella got up from the couch completely and went into the kitchen to see if the two chefs needed any help.

"Nah Bella. It's just about done anyway." Rachel said as the egg timer on the shelf rang.

Everyone ventured to the dining room table and got ready to eat. Charlie was at the head of the table with Billy on his right. Next to Billy was Jake. On the fathers left was Bella, with Rachel seated next to her. Jake didn’t look happy at the sight of his sister next to his crush and Rachel knew that she was stepping on his toes. The pup needed to get one thing straight, Bella was with Alice; and even though their families didn’t necessarily get along, she wasn’t about to let her little brother be a homewrecker.

At the first bite of the family's famous venison meat sauce and meatballs over the pasta, Bella moaned with delight. It was so good. After that she dug in, not really speaking between bites. Normally she wasn’t this ravenous when it came to food, but when it was her favorite meal, watch out! Billy and Charlie chatted about the fishing season coming up and the two men were excited to get out on the lake. Rachel and Jake talked about what project they were going to do next. Fixing up some old motorcycles on the Rez seemed to be the popular vote.

"How's everyone doing over there?" Bella asked Rachel.

The bronze skinned girl thought about how to word her answer in a way that wasn’t revealing her secret. Of course there was one big secret that she was keeping from her best friend, but she wasn’t at liberty to say anything about the matter.

"Everyone's really good. Leah is getting over Sam, slowly but surely. Embry and Quil went cliff diving not too long ago. Little punks almost got themselves killed." She grumbled that last part. Those two knuckleheads came so close to hitting the rocks at the bottom of said cliff. They were lucky they weren't taken down by the undertow.

Conversation with dinner was lively after that, Billy brought up some points as well saying that the tribe was having another bonfire near the end of the month. Bella wondered briefly if she would be able to attend.

Then came a phone call on Bella's cell. Looking at the face of the device, Bella saw that the caller ID was none other than her girlfriend. She smiled and answered.

"Hello, my darling." Bella's voice echoed into the receiver.

"Hi." Alice giggled on the other end.

"What are you doing right now?" The pixie asked her.

Bella looked to her friends and father silently asking permission to hang out with Alice on her birthday. They saw each other at school certainly, but it just wasn’t enough. Charlie saw his daughter's look of desperation and nodded at her that it was okay to leave. Jake and Billy would clean up the dishes. It was Bella's birthday after all. She should be able to do what she wanted.

"Nothing." Bella smiled.

"I'm coming to get you. Wear something nice, okay? I love you."

"I love you too." The teenager said breathlessly.

It was still a wonder to her that a being so perfect as Alice Cullen could be in love with her. She considered herself the luckiest girl in the world as she raced up the stairs to get changed. Her toe hit the column on the bannister and she cried out from the surprise and pain of stubbing it and went to her room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stubbing toes is no joke. It hurts and you feel like an idiot afterwards, but I thought it was good to put that in to see that normal everyday mishaps happen even in stories like this one. Another note, if you're an 80's/90's kid reading this, I put in that nod to BTVS with some TLC.


	3. Chapter 3

Alice arrives to pick up her mate and the two ride off toward the now familiar Cullen household. Upon entering, Bella could smell the delicious cake baking in the oven. There was still a few more minutes on the timer so Alice dragged her up to her room. Passing Edward and Tanya, the blonde said her happy birthday to Bella before the two ran off behind the closed door. Alice wanted to sped a little more time with her girl before she had to share her with the rest of the family.

"I want to know everything about this life, Alice." Bella said once they were alone.

Thinking about it for a short while, Alice once again grasped Bella's wrist and pulled her out into the hallway. Going over to Carlisle's office, they stopped in front of a large portrait on the wall behind his desk. Bella looked at the painting and saw the familiar face of the beloved doctor. He was dressed in some old fashioned garb, with a puffy shirt, vest, and a fancy jacket. The man was dressed to the nines along with three others in attendance.

The other vampires had blood red eyes and that could only mean one thing. That they drank human blood.

"Who are they?" Bella asked with her heartbeat picking up. At first, she didn’t like the look of the blonde in the middle. He looked a little menacing with his shoulder length hair parted down the middle.

"They are the Volturi. The royals that us vampires answer to." Alice started off gently. Making sure that her mate processed all of the information that was coming, she pointed up to the man in the middle.

"This man is Aro. He was the first one created by the original vampire." Bella looked at the man Alice was pointing to. Somehow he had a kind look in his eyes. They seemed to look happy and carefree; nothing like the other human blood drinkers that she had met.

James and Victoria had been crazy; lived like nomads with just one other coven member among them. The only thing they thought about was where they were going to get their next meal and who it would be from. This man in the painting had a family and responsibilities resting on his shoulders.

Then Alice pointed over at the way brown haired man next to him.

"This is Marcus. He lost his mate Didyme in the war with the Romanian Coven many years ago. She was also Aro's sister. She's been gone for many years, but Marcus still feels the pain of her loss."

Bella nodded her head in understanding. She had a feeling that she would wear the same sad, sullen expression if anything were to happen to Alice or her family. There would be no living with herself if that had ever come to pass. Bella would be cold as stone and unfeeling. She held Alice's free hand as hard as she was able. The pixie smiled at her humans strength and went on.

"The other blonde in the portrait is Caius. He might look a little off putting but that’s only because he's hard to trust anyone. Before he was turned, a friend of his turned bandit and burned his whole village to the ground with Caius's family still inside." Alice remembered the tale as if it were yesterday. Carlisle had told her all about the event and it was indeed a hard thing to listen to.

She told Bella about why Carlisle was there. When her father had been turned, he had no idea of where to go and who to turn to for answers. So he travelled all around the world, helping innocents and feeding off of animals as he went along. His adventures brought him to the Volturi compound in Italy and he and the council talked about his variation in diet. Carlisle taught them of other ways to feed and had blood banks installed in the compound. That way no more innocent people had to die to feed their bodies.

"Did they try to turn him to their way life?" Bella asked.

Alice nodded her head.

"Oh many times. Even after he left to form his own coven, they had tried a few times; but after Carlisle found Esme, they knew that he wouldn’t turn against his nature. So they stopped trying and we go see them every time a new vampire joins the family."

The teen thought about her girlfriends words for a moment. What that meant was that when she would be turned, she would visit them as well. Introductions would surely take place and Bella would be officially welcomed among the vampire society.

"The cake is ready my dears." Bella and Alice both perked up at the sound of Esme's voice and went downstairs to join the party. Before fully descending the stairs however, Bella took one last glance at the portrait on the wall. Hoping that the day she would become a vampire was sooner rather than later.

___________________________________________

The party in the Cullen home was in full swing when blood red eyes lurked close by. Hiding in the shadows this human blood drinker was after one thing; revenge. All she had to do now was wait until the most opportune moment.

____________________________________________

Cake was eaten right before presents. It was a marvelously fluffy white chiffon cake with homemade buttercream frosting. Vanilla was her favorite and it was served with cookies and cream ice cream. This honestly had to be the best birthday party ever in the history of birthday parties. After cake was done, Bella only had one piece, it was time for Bella to unwrap her first present.

It was a rather large box covered in chic wrapping. Emmett smiled when he said that it was from him and Rosalie. Ripping the paper off of the package, Bella found an updated game system. It was a shock to her that Rosalie would be involved in buying her such a thing. On the box was a code name: EC Bear. Bella looked up at Emmett and smiled.

"This way, we can play online together." He said.

The next present came from Edward and Tanya. This gift was smaller in size but when she unwrapped it, the value was incomparable to the one from Emmett. It was a first edition of the Iliad by Homer. History was a passion of Bella's and the Cullen's knew that. She was speechless upon gazing at the hard covered book. It was the first one ever put to actual parchment. Bella looked up at the bronze haired by and his wife, thanking them over and over for such a thoughtful gift.

"This next one has something to do with that. It's from Carmen and myself." Eleazar said.

"Dracula." Bella said as her hands found the hard cover staring back at her.

"Since you already know all about us, it's time that you see what the rest of the world thinks of us." Carmen said while holding onto Eleazar's hand.

Kate took several polaroid photos of Bella with all of the family members and when they had developed fully, she placed them in a large photo album and handed the whole thing to Bella. As much as the human didn’t like her picture taken, it was probably the best gift she received tonight. There were other pictures inside. Of her and Alice mostly, but there were rare pictures of Esme and Bella and Emmett and Bella. Other members of the family were present in several photos but Bella's favorite had to be one of her and Alice. They were just holding each other's hands and leaning their foreheads against one another. No one spoke, no one moved for minutes as the picture had been taken.

Bella looked at that one photograph and found that it had been taken months ago.

There were a couple of last minute gifts, like money from the family and such, but when she turned to Esme and Carlisle, she saw a familiar box in the patriarchs hands. It was the same box he was going to give to her before the whole James incident.

"You can either open it now Bella or you can wait until later; it's your choice."

Bella remembered the words as if they were said to her yesterday. Since then, so much had happened and it brought that small box out of her mind. Bella didn’t mean to forget about it but circumstances led her away from the mystery that was Carlisle's gift.

The teen took with box with great care, marveling act the craftsman ship in the mahogany wood. When she unhooked the latch, Bella was greeted by the sight of the Cullen family crest. She had seen it on Alice's trademark choker, and on Jasper's, Edward's, and Emmett's wrists. Now it looked like it was Bella's turn. The leather band was smooth and silky to the touch, while the metal making up the crest of the lion was cold. She moved her hand over the metal lion for a long time before looking at the rest of the piece.

There was an open hand and a trefoil on the crest as well as the Cullen name. It was beautiful to say the least. Carlisle came over and put a gentle, caring hand on her shoulder and explained what each part of the crest meant. Taking the wristband from her for a moment, he pointed at the lion first.

"The lion represents our ferocity and strength. The trefoil represents the fact that we are everlasting. Lastly, the hand represents our loyalty and our bond to one another. We knew you were coming Bella. We knew that you would bring so much happiness to this family. So we'd like to welcome you as our own."

Bella's eyes filled with tears as she listened to the vampire father speak from the bottom of his heart. She looked to the rest of them before her eyes landed on Alice. Never had she felt so loved, so cherished by anyone other than her own parents. It was hard to convey such a thankful emotion. No words were said as Bella began to cry. They weren't tears of sadness, but rather happiness. It was so good and kind of these wonderful and beautiful people to take her under their wing. She came into this unconventional family through unconventional means, but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Leaning forward, Bella hugged Carlisle around the waist no doubt getting his shirt wet from the tears. Esme came over next with tears threatening to spill from her own eyes. The rest of the family soon followed suit and a group hug was currently underway. Rosalie rolled her eyes as she was pulled in to the embrace but didn’t make any sounds of annoyance. That seemed to be a start to getting the blonde to open up more.

Even though Alice loved her family, she really wanted some alone time with her mate. She grasped Bella's hand and ventured with her up to her bedroom. The two girls sat on the bed for a few moments before Alice got up and went to the desk on the far side of the room. Opening a drawer, the pixie picked up a small disk case and a card for her girlfriend. She placed both of them on her lap before sitting back down.

Bella smiled at Alice before ripping the card envelope open. It had just a cake with candles in it that said happy birthday in thin sparkly letters. Inside was a long message that held so much meaning for both her and the pixie vampire.

_Bella, before I had met you, I was in a dark place. Still reeling from the death of my mother I hid from the rest of the world. Guarding my heart was an easy task for me when it came to most people, but when I met my vampire family, the walls around my heart began to crack and waver. Then, we came back to Forks and you came into my life. Never had I wanted anything or anyone so badly in my life. When I had the first vision of you, I knew you were mine, the only thing I needed to do was wait. Waiting was harder than I'd imagined however and when I came looking for you, you knew that something was different about me. Never had I been so relived and so grateful for another person other than my chosen family. You are my heart, my soul, my sun, and my sky; and I am so thankful for this day. If you were never born, I don’t know what would become of me. Maybe I would've lived out a lonely and painful existence; maybe we would've met in another world, another time, or another place. But in this time and this place, you are my every Bella, and so I give you all that I am, and all that I ever could be._

_Yours forever and always,_

_Alice._

Bella knew that she shouldn’t be crying now, but with that heartfelt message, she couldn’t hold back her tears. Sure, Alice had told her time and time again about her importance to her, but never had she felt so loved, appreciated, and safe with another person. She leaned her head on Alice's shoulder and let the tears fall where they may. The tiny vampire just kissed her forehead gently and held her for a long moment.

Sniffling, Bella asked.

"What's on here?"

"Oh, just something that Edward and I collaborated on. Think of it as like a mixed tape made by 'yours truly'." Alice pointed at herself with a proud smile.

Bella giggled at the reply but decided to wait until she was alone to listen to the music. She placed a hand on Alice's cheek and turned her pristine face so that she was looking directly into the soft caramel eyes.

"I love you, Alice. More than anything in the world."

"I love you too, Bella. No matter what happens, I will always love you."

It seemed like an omen, but whether it was a good one or a bad one would be something that they faced together.

____________________________________________

As the night wore on, the red eyed figure loomed in the large trees, always keeping her thoughts clouded as to not be detected by the telepath. She knew she had to do something about this human, something that would leave her unguarded by the vampire family always in attendance. The red head growled and seethed at the happiness now on display before her. How dare they be happy while the only thing that made her happy was dust in an abandoned ballet studio.

Victoria had gone to the place not long after the Cullen's had burned her mate to cinders. All that had remained of James was in a large pile on a hard wooden floor. It was hard to watch the family and their human dance around with nothing but smiles on their faces when the true threat of a vampire now loomed before them.

She watched for a few moments more before running into the forest. Making sure not to alarm the other creatures in attendance, she moved along the high branches of the trees. Victoria was not entirely successful however, for when she neared the border between the Quileute land and the Cullen's, growls on anger and frustration sounded over the brush and the tall trees. Victoria knew that if she were caught, that it would be the end for her. There would be no one left to avenge her mate. So she kept running. The red head didn’t stop, and found a way to avoid any large teeth that might tear her in two.

She hopped from tree to tree and ran until she was back in the small town of Forks and just ran. Ran far into the distance as a plan was formed in her head. Smiling, Victoria now knew exactly what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our notorious red head is up to no good. What could her plan be I wonder. Find out in the next chapter. And yes I changed how Didyme died because I have plans for Aro and the Volturi.


	4. Nothing More Dangerous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is taking a different turn. It will be in the first person point of view of our favorite Psycho redhead. A bit of it will be about her human life, how she was turned, and when she met James. The second part of it is when she goes to the three brothers to report a 'crime'. There's also my version of the deleted scene from New Moon when Victoria is driving a car. Enjoy y'all

Victoria POV

I've always hated humans. Even when I was one of them, I hated them. The only one whom I could tolerate, and even love, was my sister Anne. She was older than I and we lived together with our mother, a scullery maid, and our father, the master of the house. Father was not a kind man. He would beat the servants for merely existing. That included my sister and myself at times.

When I turned twelve and Anne was fourteen, we ran from the house we lived in. It was hell on the cold streets of London, but living there with our father wasn’t an option. We looked out for each other. One night, before the winter season hit us, Anne went to work for a local pimp. She agreed to sell her body for money and lodging on the condition that I was left untouched. The grimmey, disgusting man took one look between the two of us and considered that he was getting the better end of the deal. When I was younger, I had freckles that covered almost my entire face and bright red hair. No one would want me so I was left to live in the household with the other working girls.

I was grateful for the place to stay, but the house and the people inside of it left much to be desired. You could hear many things through the walls that seemed to be made of tissue paper. Guttural moans of every kind slipped through the cracks surrounding my room. Sometimes the women would go out to meet a client, but most of the time I was left covering my head and ears with stained, dirty pillow.

I often asked myself how a woman could sell her body like that. How could they let themselves be treated so low, like property? I came to disrespect each of them in time, but never Anne. I knew that she was kind and good and sweet. If she had any money left over from one of her client visits, she would bring me sweets from the market. I remember my sister fondly at times. How her long mahogany hair would flow in the spring breeze. How her eyes would scrunch up when she smiled. Anne would often smile in the worst of times. That was just the person she was.

One night, my sister went out to meet with another client. Before she left, she looked at me hopefully and said that he was a good man; wealthy and kind. Anne had thought that he had fallen in love with her and would take the two of us in. When Anne walked out the door that night, I had high hopes for what was about to come, but reality was a much cruller mistress.

There was no sign of my sister the next day, or the day after that. I begged her pimp and the other working girls to help me find her. Anne was all I had left, we were all each other had. It was safe to say that no one would help me. In fact the disgusting pimp locked me in my room a couple of days later, hoping to get me to shut up and get in line. He wanted to control me and that just made me angry and more defiant.

It didn’t take a genius to find out how to escape; I tied the bed sheets-the top sheet and the blanket- together and climbed out the window. The house where we lived was a two story building. It was a run down piece of shit, but at least it kept us dry. I thought I was home free as my feet hit the ground; but I heard the pimp yell my name.

"Victoria!" He cried out angrily.

I ran faster than my legs wanted to carry me that day. I ran with nothing but the clothes on my back. For two years I lived out on the streets. Once more back on the cobblestone pathways, I slept in the small spaces hidden in the dark where no one would find me. The pimp would look for me, oh yes he would. There were times when he was actually close to finding me but I slipped away at the last second. Living out on the street, you remembered the most important aspect; you must survive in order to live.

Surviving came first. You taught yourself how to breathe in the cold air and filter it in your lungs. It hurt at first, but you got used to it; like most things. Breathing was necessary for your body to survive and that's what I did. Even during the cold and harsh winter months, I crept in the shadows, unnoticed by most people. There was the occasional stranger that would drop me a shilling or two, but I didn’t need it. All I needed to do was find a job and find my sister.

There was one day, that a scullery maid was dismissed from her position. After all of these years, I still remembered that day. The deep booming voice of the man echoed through the streets to say how useless and incompetent she was. My anger almost got the better of me then, but I needed to make a wage, so I stayed silent. Once the girl was out of sight, I jumped at the chance for the position. I explained to the master of the house that my mother had been a scullery maid and she had taught me everything she knew. Looking me up and down a few times, the older gentleman stepped aside and guided me through the door.

The job wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. There were times when I thought my back had broken just from being bent over cleaning the floor. Or when I thought I would be a permanent prune by the end of the week with all of the laundry and dishes. It was a hard job, but at least it was stable. My hatred for other people waned if only slightly, but I never could forget the hardships that my sister and I had gone through over the years.

It was only a matter of time before my past caught up with me however. I was out shopping for groceries one day in the market when I saw the same dangerous brown eyes of the pimp that had searched for me. For some unknown reason he was still looking for me, and that was not a good sign. Walking home with a certain pep, I knew he would follow.

I lost him when I was almost home, crossing through familiar back alleys and gutter ways. I knew I would reek of something awful, but I bathed as soon as I returned to the house. While in the tub, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a way to escape him for good. There was only the worry about my position and the money I made. I couldn’t leave, there was no way. Going to bed was a hardship in itself. So many thoughts ran rampant in my mind. Would the pimp actually find out where I lived? Would he come with a weapon and kill me? Was there ever going to be a day where I would find my sister again?

I cried silently as to not wake anyone else in the house. The tears made their way down my cheeks until I found the blissful release of sleep. My body was so exhausted that it wouldn’t stay awake anymore.

What seemed like mere moments passed and I felt a little tapping on my shoulder. Afraid of who it might be, I opened my eyes slightly to see a vision before me. It was like someone had answered my prayers, or I died from sheer exhaustion. There stood my sister Anne. Her shining, glorious smile directed down at me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. A gasp flew from my lips as I reached out to touch her, begging her to be real.

"Please be here." My voice shook

Tears welled in my green eyes as my fingers touched her pale, cold cheek. Here was my big sister, not aged a single moment from the night she left the house that fateful night. Anne took my hand in her own and kept smiling down at me. I shot up out of bed to embrace my sister, but she sped away from me. She was fast, faster than I'd ever seen her before. I picked up the oil lantern at the side of my bed. Turning it on, the fire burned brightly and I could now see Anne in a better light. She was pale; pale as in all of the pink had left her cheeks.

Again I walked to her, but she tensed slightly and asked only a simple question.

"Are you safe? Are you happy?" Breathing heavily through her mouth, she looked around my tiny attic room. It wasn’t much; it wasn’t what I wanted, but it was what I chose.

As Anne walked around the tiny drafty bedroom, I relayed to her all of the events that happened in her absence. When I told her of how the pimp had treated me after she left, she became enraged.

"That little tick of a man!" She yelled.

I quickly shushed her and Anne quietly pondered how she would dispose of her former employer. After a moment however, she dashed the thought away and said that he was only a small part of the problem. All of our lives, Anne protected me. She made sure I was safe, fed, and warm. She walked around the room a few more times and then turned her dark eyes to me.

"Do you trust me?" She asked quietly. Her voice reverberated around the room like music.

"What?" I asked, not really sure where this was going.

"Do you trust me, Victoria?" Anne held out her hand to me.

"With my life." I grabbed her hand.

She picked me up like I was a tiny doll. Surprised by her new found strength, I wrapped my arms around her neck as she sped off into the night. What came next changed my life forever. Anne opened her mouth and out came sharpened canines that sparkled in the moonlight. Her teeth came down onto my neck moments later and she bit into me.

For a few days I writhed in pain. Delirious and not knowing where we were going, Anne and I met up with a few other women. I could hear the soothing voice of my sister, but also the others that came later. It was like a raging fire had made its home in my bloodstream. I couldn’t sit still, I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t get cool again. What did Anne do to me, I wondered. When my heart slowed to a stop, it wasn’t long until I awoke again with a new set of eyes.

I met two others that were like Anne. Their names were Heidi and Mary. I also met the person responsible for my sisters condition. Her name was Hilda, and she was the leader of this ragtag group of women. The older woman had explained that she changed my sister out of pity and taught her the ways of hunting humans for food. It was like someone had pulled a lever in my head, for my throat burned almost instantly after that. Hilda, Anne and the others accompanied me as I went on my first hunt. The homeless man I drank from stank, my nose burned from his stench, but his blood was like a certain ambrosia that I could not resist.

For 2 years we traveled together. For 2 years we were happy and for the first time, I actually felt like I was living. Then, they came. The hypocritical vampire royals, the Volturi. There were four of them there that day. A tiny blonde girl by the name of Jane and her twin Alec. A massive hulking vampire by the name of Felix accompanied them. Finally another woman that went by the name of Chelsea. Apparently, we were bringing too much attention to ourselves and to the existence of vampires. I spit at their feet . Judging by the color of their eyes, they were just like us. They drank the same blood that we drank. Just because their means were different didn’t mean that they were any better than us.

Hilda stepped forward as our leader, therefore we were her responsibility, her failure. The tiny blonde one just concentrated her gaze on Anne's maker. She fell to the ground screaming in pain. Her knees were beneath her as Felix wrapped his hands around her neck and pulled.

Hilda's severed head rolled onto the ground. With her red eyes staring up at the four of us, each of us ran in our own direction. I cried out for Anne, yelled out her name, but there was no answer. For days I waited for her. Then days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. I knew then, that I would never see my sister again. For the second time, she was taken from me. Pried away from my hands.

I avoided all vampires after that day. That was until I met James. At first he was trying to see how much of challenge I would be to kill, but then after a couple of failed attempts, the blonde man won my affections. He was charming, cunning, and confident. He became my stability. We hunted people for weeks at a time. No one escaped our clutches. We relished in the carnage we left behind. There was one time that he had actually challenged a were-wolf to a fight and my James won instantly. After he killed the beast, we made love where it fell countless times. Each time was filled with such emotion and stability and passion. The rush was outstanding to say the least.

Mary Alice Brandon was a mystery to me. I didn’t know what had attracted James to her blood, but for a while that damned pixie was all he could think about. I was the one he came home to however; I was the one he fucked and fed with. Me and only me. When we tracked her to the asylum, the vampire that had changed the sickly human tricked us into fighting each other. We lost the girl after that but came away with a fresh and decent kill under our belts.

James loved killing humans and so did I. He loved toying with them and torturing them. I didn’t see the appeal. They all looked the same, they all sounded the same, and they all died the same. It was all the same to me. The blonde kept trophies sometimes of everyone he'd killed; like a hunter always should. It was his headstrong nature that would be his undoing however.

Bella should've been an easy kill; an easy hunt, even with the Cullen's protecting her. But they got in our way, James was the most capable tracker in the history of trackers. He was a strong fighter, but not stronger than Alice Cullen. The damned brat that had escaped us before, was a full fledged vampire that drank animal blood. She fought well, and dismembered my lover with ease. I didn’t see the fight, but I knew in my heart that another person I loved was gone. After I went to the abandoned ballet studio I found his ashes. I picked them up and smeared them over my face.

Maybe I was crazy for doing that. Maybe I wanted revenge. Maybe I was just so tired of it all. The more I thought about James's death, the more I wanted Alice to feel the pain I felt. Feel the pain and sorrow you felt after losing someone.

I gripped the leather steering wheel under my palm tightly as I drove down the long road leading to a large, yet humble village. The girl beside me was passed out in the plush passenger seat and her beau was behind me dead from my meal.

"Thanks for the ride." I said as she began to wake.

Her dark black hair was held up in a ponytail, but a few strands escaped the scrunchie. She put a shaking hand to her smooth tan forehead and came too. Looking at me she uttered a question. I couldn’t understand a word of Italian so I just kept driving. After a few moments of her mindless confused babbling, I began to speak.

"I never really liked cars, but I would steal one on occasion for James to lose my scent. He would look for me for days before I let him find me. I was so good at hiding, but no one could seek like James. We never could get sick of each other, we would've had forever to try." I thought about his red gaze matching mine and a shiver went down my spine.

I told the young woman of how much she reminded me of the little human that was the cause of James's death. She was so pretty, and her blood was tempting. The girl then looked in the back seat and found her boyfriend leaning against the window. Shaking his leg, the man's head fell forward and she could finally see where I bit into his neck. The bloody bite mark was still fresh and the skin puckered around the angry wound. The blood I had wasted seeped out on to the shirt he was wearing. My man never wasted a drop of the stuff. He always finished his meal and he was always hungry for more.

The screams of the girl next to me were like music to my ears. It reminded me so much of our fun games we would play.

"James always did love a screamer." I gripped her long black ponytail and pulled her down toward my lap before I bit savagely into her. The life blood flowing through my lips was so sweet and so nourishing, that I had almost forgot to pay attention to the road.

_____________________________________________________________________

I ditched the car soon after I finished draining the girl. I left it in a large field where no one would find it. When I got out of the fancy car, I went to the back seat and found a parasol just sitting there waiting to be used. Now the weather in Italy rarely called for clouds and rain, so I had to make the best of what I had to finish my mission.

I took the little umbrella and opened it. The shade made sure my skin didn’t shine and I was able to walk freely the rest of the way to the compound. I would find my quarry there in the humble town of Volterra. I would find the Volturi there and given the fact that one of them had killed my only sister, I would put that aside for the time being. Oh, their time would come. Of that I was certain; now it was Bella's turn to die by my hands no one else's. I just needed the Cullen's out of the way first. Then their little pet would be all mine.

It took a couple hours to reach the compound, but I was no worse for wear. Some people-locals- would look at me strangely as I walked among them. They were not used to visitors it seemed; but I ventured to the large, foreboding wooden double doors and pounded with my pale and chilly fist. In a matter of moments the door opened to reveal a slim man with short, dirty blonde hair. This was not one of the vampires from my past. This was someone new. He had the bright red eyes of a human blood drinker, but the control that surpassed a newborn. I had never seen him before.

"I'm here to speak to the Lord."

I uttered as I closed the parasol and stepped through the threshold. The guard and myself walked over to the reception area, where a blonde woman was waiting for us. I heard her heartbeat in my ear and it was a sweet melodious sound. I turned my head to look at her and our eyes met. Her blue eyes widened when she saw my red ones bearing into her. My gaze went all around her face. She was cute, had a certain classic beauty to her. The round face and pert soft lips of a woman did not go unnoticed by me. My eyes went down to her pulse and I watched it quicken. Licking my lips ever so slightly, I could feel my pupils dilate with hunger. I watched hers blow up from desire and anticipation.

Humans were so gullible and easy to manipulate. That's mostly the reason why I love preying on them. The blonde man whispered something in the receptionists ear and she immediately got up from her chair and entered another room. She left the doors open for us to follow her. As we stepped into the marble white room, I felt the need to cover my eyes. It was so bright.

Looking in front of me, I saw nothing but three lone wooden chairs. No one was sitting upon them but when I looked over to my left, I saw another long table. It was to seat about six to ten different people but only three occupied the chairs.

One man was casually reading a book. He was leaning back with one leg crossed over the other. His long brown hair was flawless hanging over his shoulder. The other two who were looking at some type of map had straight bleach blonde hair and curly brunette hair. So these were the fearsome Volturi brothers? They didn’t look like much, but the stories that rang out all over the world had to have some fact to them. Hopefully I wasn’t going to be the one who found out.

The trio turned their blood red eyes toward me and it took everything in me not to scowl right at them. The bleach blonde man looked disgusted at my haggard appearance but made no further move to judge. The straight black haired man closed his book and got up from his seat. Walking toward me, his hands were placed behind his back. He welcomed me and wondered what brought me here to their sanctum. His words were honeyed in ways that even I couldn’t imagine and I have been a vampire for many, many years. The man's confidant strides were perplexing and for a moment I was confused as to why I was here.

Shaking my head, I spoke clearly for them to understand. My accent from my homeland was long gone and I sounded almost like an American. It must've had something to do with how long James and I were together.

"I'm here to report a crime." I put on one of my best acts and waited for them to respond.

Wanting further elaboration, I spoke again.

"The Cullen's have done something terrible."

The eyes in front of me widened ever so slightly and I grinned internally at my small victory. He tensed his shoulders and looked at me skeptically. There was only one crime that a vampire could commit and that was revealing themselves to a human. It was true that I didn’t know how sweet Bella knew that they were vampires and honestly, I didn’t care, but once a human found out such a thing existed, there were dire consequences.

One hand made its way from behind his back. He held it out wide for me to take. Then something akin to fear washed over me, for now I knew who this was. This was the leader and founder of the Volturi Coven. This was Aro. Everyone knew of his ability, even if you have never met him personally. Tactile telepathy was nothing to be trifled with. As soon as one took his hand, he could read your thoughts and memories. He was truly a force to be reckoned with. I knew my accusation was far fetched, for who in their right mind would ever reveal themselves when the Volturi were the ones in charge.

I had to do this. This was the first part to my long journey. I had to get the Cullen's away from Bella long enough to kill her. To drink from her, just like James had wanted to. So, once I strengthened my resolve, I slapped my hand down into his and waited. Aro gasped and brought his free hand down upon my own, making sure I wouldn’t try to struggle. He didn’t close his eyes as my thoughts and memories wove across his vision. It was quite unnerving to say the least, but now I knew that the first step was now complete.

Once the exchange was complete, Aro released my hand and all but pushed it away from him. It was like my hand itself was burning him alive. He calmly strode back over to the chair where he previously sat, held onto the back of it, and threw it across the room seconds later in anger and betrayal. What had been going through his mind then, I had no idea. His brothers ran to him to try and calm him, but it seemed useless as he threw other things, like the books and the candelabras. It wasn't until a woman came running in and grasped the sides of his face that he really began to breathe again. She had matching long dark hair, and stood only inches under Aro. This must have been his mate.

Aro breathed raggedly and called for someone. They arrived calmly and I shuddered at the presence that seemed like a demon from my past. It was none other than one half of the 'Witch Twins' Jane. She looked all around the room and her red eyes paused on me for a brief moment. I stood stalk still waiting for her to recognize me, but nothing came to her. The tiny blonde walked over to her master and waited patiently for orders.

The lord spoke quietly, more so than even I could hear; but Jane nodded before walking out of the room. Once Aro had composed himself, he stood up straight and regarded me. Looking me in the eye, the orbs in front of me were slightly red, but mostly black with rage. It was clear he was still seething, but he regained himself to speak to me.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

Smiling lightly, I bowed my head and Aro walked out of the room with his mate. Caius and Marcus walked up to me then. The blonde man was still not sure what to make of me. He growled at me.

"Leave now." Caius gritted his teeth.

Marcus walked beside him with a cloth up to his nose. Apparently my scent did not please him. The handkerchief that he held was white and had lace on the edges. I waited for the other lords to leave and then my modest grin widened. My teeth glowed in the darkness as I relished in my first victory. If I had a heart, it would beat in anticipation. If I had a pulse, it would quicken. This was my moment; this was the moment that I would take my revenge for my mate.


	5. They're Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the title, some shit is about to go down. Will Bella be able to keep out of the fryer long enough to find out what is going on? Warning: this is where it kind of veers off of canon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I already posted this chapter, but I had to rewrite it because it didn't feel right. It didn't like the impact I was trying to create would be big enough. So hopefully this conveys things a little bit better. This is where the canon divergence comes into play.

It was a bright and sunny day when Bella drove her truck to the Cullen house; unusual for the dreary state, but still. A wide smile was on her face as she thought about seeing her girlfriend for their picnic date. As soon as she got off the phone with Alice, Bella had hopped in her red pick up and drove through the now familiar trail. On the main road, she turned her eyes to the leather cuff that now adorned her wrist. The only time she took it off was when she showered. The shiny metal of the family crest was bright in the sunlight.

Stopping at a road-sign, Bella placed her right forearm on the steering wheel to get a better look at the design. She took her free hand and ran it over the leather and metal accessory. The band was soft on her wrist; not causing any discomfort. The metal of the Cullen crest chilled the tips of her fingers, reminding Bella of the feeling of Alice's skin against her own. Her smile widened impossibly as she drove on.

Turning down the forest trail that led to the house, Bella thought about the events that led to this very moment in time. As everything ran through her mind, the teen realized how grateful she had been for the entire family. Emmett had been there to protect her that first day in Gym class. Saving her from being hit in the back of the head by that jerk Mike Newton. Kate and Irina were her first vampire friends. They were so kind and beautiful and their smiles just lit up the room. Not quite like Alice's though. It was as if that smile made the sun itself shine brighter than ever.

Esme and Carlisle were the best parents. So supportive and loving toward their adoptive children; even having the courage to meld the Denali family with theirs once Edward and Tanya were married. Bella had a feeling that it could've caused some friction with other larger covens. The telepath and his mate were probably grateful that they didn’t have to split up the families. Esme's cooking was out of this world. Even though the vampire's didn’t eat human food, the copper haired woman still found the time and compassion to cook for Bella whenever she was over at the house. Even the slightest grumble from her stomach would send the mother into the kitchen toot-sweet; whipping up something that the teenager knew she would enjoy.

Bella thought about all of the perks that came with dating Alice; but also the risks. Green eyes turned worried as she began to think about the danger the family would be in if anyone had found out that a vampire was dating a human. Also, that said human had found out about the existence of vampires. It was all supposed to be a big secret, Bella came to understand. She hoped against all hope that the royal coven of the Volturi would never find out about Bella and Alice's relationship. If they did, there was no telling what danger the family could be in.

After a few more minutes of driving, Bella had come within eyesight of the Cullen house.

Just then, she saw a flash of blonde run up to her truck. Granted her pick up didn’t stop on a dime, but it was close enough. Fearful golden eyes looked up into green. They were bright from a recent hunt and filled with terror and agony. For a moment Bella was perplexed at the sight of it, but with the tense body language of the vampire, she turned off the engine.

Kate was heaving with unneeded breath when she was collecting herself. Her straight blonde hair was disheveled and filled with sticks and leaves. Once Bella got out of the truck and stepped in front of her, she picked out a small twig from her friends crown of hair.

The vampire grasped Bella's arms with tender yet strong hands, making sure not to harm the girl.

"Bella; you need to leave." Kate uttered the words.

Her ears perk up at the sound of tires crunching along the dirt and twigs littering the forest driveway. Taking Bella into her arms, Kate races to a secluded area with lots of bushes and trees. Crouching down onto the ground, each girl watches the house as the black town-cars pull into the Cullen driveway.

Once the cars are fully parked, a few figures get out of each vehicle. There are about four of them in attendance. Dark hoods on black cloaks disguise their appearance to the human but Kate knows exactly who's arrived. The blonde watches as the small group goes to the front door. The smaller figure of the posse raises a slender hand and knocks. The sound of the knuckles on the wooden door is deafening.

Seeing Carlisle opening the door, Kate watches as the scene unfolds before her. There is a cordial greeting, but not much else. With the Volturi, silence is the loudest. Each second that goes by without someone speaking is maddening. Then, without warning, a high shrill scream echoes along the trees and a body falls to the ground in a thump. 

Bella heard the scream. Remembering the fight that the little pixie had with James just months before, she knew that it was Alice. Her green eyes widened and she tried to jar herself from Kate's strong hold, but it was like iron. Opening her mouth to yell her love's name, Bella can't make her voice travel far; for the vampire holding her covers her mouth with a cold hand.

"Shh." Kate says trying to be comforting to the human.

Tears pool in her eyes and her chest begins to ache for her family at this moment. There is no doubt in Kate's mind that seeing Alice in such a state of pain brought torture to both Esme and Carlisle. She hears the mother dropping to the floor next to her daughter.

The blonde can't imagine the pain that Alice is going through right now and hopes that the screaming will stop soon. With Bella trying to get out of her hold, she kept looking on watching what might happen next.

She remembered going on her hunting trip and coming home. It was supposed to be a peaceful and uneventful day. How did everything go so wrong so fast?

______________________________________________________

45 minutes earlier (Alice's POV)

The small pixie vampire dances around her kitchen, getting ready for the picnic date she had planned for Bella and herself. Alice had just seen her mate only hours ago, but being away from her for any amount of time was a torturous ordeal. Getting the wicker basket, she packed it with fruits and snacks that she knew Bella would enjoy. Golden eyes crinkled from the smile forming on her face.

A large hand entered the basket without her permission, grabbing an apple. Gasping at the sight Alice turned her attention to Emmett, who had the ruby fruit in his massive fist. Jokingly, the larger man threw it up in the air and caught it before Alice could. Throwing it up again, Emmett then felt a fist land in his midsection. He bent over from the pain, but recovered quickly to see his little sister recover the fruit he had taken.

"That's what you get." Rosalie commented from her spot on the lounge in the family room.

Reading a magazine, the debutant looked up from the perfect pages to see what the commotion had been about. Sure, she wasn’t thrilled by Alice dating a human and there were plenty of risks involved with their pairing, but if the little sprite was happy, then the least she could do was be happy along with her.

As Alice places the apple back in the basket, she runs over everything that she had packed for the trip to the meadow. It had become her mate's favorite spot. Smiling at the thought, Alice reminisces about all of the times that she could be open about who she was and what she was in that purple and green filled meadow. Alice didn’t have to hide anymore from the person or people she loved. It was a deep comfort.

Fruit, sandwiches, other sweet and savory snacks littered the base. It seemed that the only thing she had been missing was something to drink for Bella. Racing over to the refrigerator, she opened the door and found the cans of carbonated water and the bottles of plain flat water. The carbonated liquid was a mixture of blueberry, raspberry and strawberry. It smelled tasty enough when Bella tried it at the grocery store where she had bought it.

Getting one plastic bottle of the plain filtered water, she placed that in the basket first. Then, as her fingers wrapped around the metal can of the bubbly water, a vision clouded her mind. Alice gasped and tensed at the sight, dropping the small container on the hardwood floor.

Rosalie and Emmett both turned their attention to the pixie and waited for her to come out of the vision. As Alice began to see the present again however she did not relax like she usually did. If anything the small vampire tensed even further. Her golden eyes became fearful and worried. Flittering all around the room, she found the matching gazes of her brother and sister. Her pale hands began to shake as she bent over to pick up the now bloated can. The bottom of it had puffed out from the pressure inside, and Alice then put it in the sink to rest.

She mentally called out for Edward immediately after and the boy came to see what the issue was. Alice told him to see into her mind to recall the vision. After mere moments of the telepath seeing what he saw, he turned his attention to the others in the room.

Edward counted the family members that were in the house and on the grounds. Tanya was out in the back, training with Laurent and Jasper. That was the norm for the leader of the Denali clan. Irina was always by her mate's side so she was also in the backyard. Esme and Carmen were out working in the greenhouse. Gardening was a hobby as well as a tool to pass the time. Then there was Eleazar and Carlisle. They were up in Carlisle's office, discussing what should come next with training Bella's shielding ability.

At first the boy was surprised to meet another with the ability, but found that to be the only explanation as to why he couldn’t read the teenager's thoughts. The older men were wondering about the further capabilities of the girl's gift and if she could train it even as a human.

The only vampire of the family that seemed to be missing was Kate. She was out hunting and was sure to be back any minute. Taking out his cell phone, he called his sister-in-law immediately. Sighing with relief as she answered the phone he told her to stay away. Of course the blonde put up a fight and didn’t want to be left behind, but he looked to Alice about the decision and the seer nodded her head in agreement. It was the best out come for everyone. Alice knew that the girl was too rebellious for her own good and it would get her into hot water some day. So she didn’t need to be back here.

The minutes passed by and they were the longest that anyone had ever endured before. Edward called the family down to their location and relayed the information he had just encountered. Everyone looked to Alice in her time of need and Carlisle placed a strong comforting hand on her shoulder. The pixie looked to her family and tears began to well up in her eyes. A soft knock echoed loudly in their ears. Carlisle went over to answer the front door and found the cloaked figures of Jane Volturi and the rest of Aro's most trusted guard.

"What do we owe the pleasure, my lady?" The man asked as he bowed his head and stepped out of the doorway.

Waiting for the Volturi to enter, Alice looked at each of them. Jane was at the head of the group with Alec-her twin brother-right behind her. Felix, in his massive presence, entered next. His back was impossibly straight and his shoulders were broad. Demetri came in after him. He was shorter in stature, like the same height as Jasper. The four of them stood in front of the Cullen family and removed their hoods. Alice's heart would beat out of her chest if it was still active. How did it come to this? She thought as she went over the events of her morning. Then her eyes widened ever so slightly as the four Volturi vampires talked to her father.

_'Bella's coming.'_ Alice thought to her brother.

Without needing to look at the keypad, Edward expertly typed a message to Kate; warning her about the imminent arrival of their human. He knew that the blonde was close, because he picked up on her thoughts on her way back home.

_'Son of a bitch!'_ Kate thought as she unwillingly stayed well enough away from the house.

Jane's ruby red eyes concentrated on the entire family before coming to rest on Alice. After a moment of just staring at her, the small blonde girl used her cruel gift on the pixie. Alice screamed loudly and fell to the floor from the pain coursing through her body. Esme dropped to the floor next to her and held her shaking form. Taking her daughter's shoulders, she rocked back and forth, hoping that Alice would feel her comforting presence, but it was to no avail. Alice couldn’t feel anything other than the fiery pain. Her screams became louder and longer as time went on.

What felt like years were only mere seconds. Emmett couldn’t watch his sister be treated like this anymore. He went to move toward the Volturi girl, but a strong hand around his neck stopped him. The burly Cullen could feel his feet leave the ground, his toes skimming the surface of the hardwood floor. Alice kept crying out and in a rage, Emmett threw a wild punch at Felix's jaw. The resounding crack, drew everyone's attention and Jane finally relented.

Felix dropped the boy and watched as he went back over to his mate.

Alice's body began to stop shaking, the cries had subsided, and she was finally able to move without any of her body hurting. Looking to Esme she silently thanked her mother for being there for her in her time of need. She then turned her attention to the ancient in front of her. Getting onto her knees, she looked into the red eyes before her. Finding out why they were here was the first priority.

Alice didn’t need to ask the question however, because Jane crouched down to her level and took her pointer finger placing it under the pixie's chin. Tilting the Cullen's head up, Jane tilted her own to the side. She spoke silently a moment later.

"Now why would you and your coven-?" Her voice was quiet, but it echoed for all of the family to hear.

Then she got up and turned to her brother and the other two men. Nodding her head, the three took a prisoner each. Jane took Alice's wrists and placed them behind her back, Demetri did the same with Carlisle. Emmett was taken by Felix because the larger of the four was the only one who could contain the boy. Alec was at the rear of the large group of vampires and led the rest of the Cullen/Denali coven out of the house.

As Alice walked with Jane to the black town-car, she looked all around for the bright green eyes of her mate; or for the matching golden ones of her best friend. Her eyes were erratic as they wandered over the forest horizon. Jane opened the back passenger door and let go of Alice's wrists. Knowing that the girl would use her gift again if she even tried to escape, the seer willingly complied in getting into the car. As Jane was shutting the door however, she saw the fearful watery eyes of Bella Swan. The once happy turquois was now marred with sadness and fear. It was a look that Alice had hoped that she would never see again after the incident with James. Before Jane shut the door in her face, she uttered the words silently, praying that Bella would read her lips.

_'I love you.'_

Jane entered the car moments later and sat across from Alice. Pulling her fingernails with her teeth, the small Volturi poked at the dirt underneath the rest of them and asked the pixie a question.

"Who's truck?"

Her voice was like a siren in Alice's head. She had no idea that Jane had seen Bella's truck and she knew she had to come up with a lie; and fast.

"It's Kate's. She's out on a hunting trip." Alice turned to look out of the window at the house that had become her own, wondering if she would ever see it; or Bella ever again.

___________________________________________________________

Bella's POV

Bella watched as Alice got into the fancy black town-car that seemed very similar to Carlisle's. Emmett and the others were brought out also and were put into their own seats. The members of the family who weren't arrested, got into their own cars and followed. Bella tried to scream out but Kate's hand was covering her mouth. She tried to move toward the family, but Kate's hold was strong around her waist and shoulders. Her loud shriek sounded light, but it still reached the ears of the larger vampire that held Emmett.

He looked into the tree line and Kate pushed herself and Bella onto the ground fully. The other vampires in attendance looked to their brother and comrade, wondering what he had just heard. Not finding his quarry, Felix shook his head.

"Non è niente." The thick Italian accent did not go unnoticed by the human or her protector.

Each engine of every car sounded loud to her ears as the family pulled out of the drive one by one. Both girls watched as the cars left the driveway and drove off into the distance. Just to be sure that everyone was gone, Kate waited a few minutes to get off of her friend.

Bella scrambled to her feet and ran toward the still open front door of the Cullen house. Even though she knew that the whole family was gone, save for Kate, she still looked in every room, behind every door, even out in the backyard hoping to find another vampire. Once she finally saw that all of the Cullen's and the Denali's were no where to be found, Bella shut the sliding glass door behind her.

"Bella, I'm-" Kate tried to find the words, but couldn’t.

When she heard the blondes voice, it sent her into a rage. Anger entered her eyes like never before and Bella marched over to Kate. Not wasting anytime or thought on it, Bella took her fist and punched the blonde right across the jaw. Thanks to her stone skin however, it probably did more damage to Bella than it did to Kate. She took her now sore, or maybe even broken hand into her uninjured one and yelled out in pain.

"What the hell was that?!"

Kate didn’t speak as she walked up to Bella and took her red fist into her hands. Still angry at her however, Bella wrenched her hand free from the blonde. She screamed and cried out as Kate wrapped her long arms around her. Bella couldn’t take it, she curled her hands once more and pounded on Kate's chest and shoulders as tears streamed down her face. Her cheeks were soaked with the salty water, but the older blonde didn’t care. She was going to comfort the human the best she could and the only way she knew how.

Hugging Bella, she knew that the girl would resist, was the only way to get through this together. With her legs feeling like jelly, Bella knew she wouldn’t be able to stand anymore as she sobbed out her pain and heartbreak. She collapsed in Kate's hold, never reaching the floor because the blonde had picked Bella up and carried her to one of the bedrooms upstairs. The human wrapped her arms around Kate's neck and held on as the Denali girl carried her.

Her tears were no doubt soaking through the shirt she had been wearing, but Bella couldn’t bring herself to care; to feel. Her green eyes drifted shut as she was carried in through a now abandoned doorway. Bella took a breath and found the scent to be her girlfriends' sweet and comforting one. As she laid there in Alice's bed, Bella knew that she could no longer keep her eyes open. The exhaustion in her now was too much. Her head was pounding and so was the pain in her hands. Holding them above her as she laid on the plush pillow, Bella saw that they were now a bright red. Trying to clench her fingers proved difficult but not impossible, so they weren't broken.

"I'm sorry Bella." Kate uttered aloud as Bella closed her eyes; hoping against all hope that this was all just a bad dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this is where it comes more away from the story that we saw in canon. I didn't want to have Alice leave her willingly, so I brought the guard in to capture the entire Cullen/Denali family. Most of them will be fine, don't worry.


	6. Chapter 6

When Bella had awoken from her nap, she looked over to the side to see Kate sitting in the arm chair Alice had there for reading. It was as if the nightmare began a new for Bella, but she held back the tears knowing that she and Kate were the only one's left in the Cullen house. The teenager didn’t want to look weak in front of her friend but it was hard to be strong right now.

Walking on wobbly legs toward the door, Bella went over to the bathroom and shut the door. Kate knew that the human would need to relieve herself at some point and waited patiently. Bella flushed and washed her hands before exiting the bathroom and went back over to sit on the bed. Hopefully the blonde would have some explanation to all of this. Bella sat on the cushy bed and had to breathe deeply to keep herself from crying.

"What happened?" She asked shakily.

Kate went over the events of the day as well as she could. She had been out hunting before everything went down so she didn’t understand the details of it quite yet; but if Jane and her brother were involved, that could only mean one thing.

"Jane and Alec Volturi are only sent out to retrieve criminals who have broken our one, most sacred law." Kate spoke thinking about what Aro was wondering at the very moment.

"Telling a human about the existence of vampires." Bella had finished the statement. Kate only nodded solemnly and the two thought over who could be responsible for telling such a fanatical lie.

There were no other vampires in the area that knew about Bella and her relationship with Alice. James was killed, Riley was no where to be found, and neither was Victoria. Victoria; the mere mention of the name sent Bella into a shaking fear that led to nightmare after nightmare. The red eyes, the fiery unruly hair, the savagery of such a being; even for a vampire she seemed to be over the top. The first time Bella had seen the three feral vampires, she saw how close Victoria and James had been to one another. Riley seemed to be the third wheel in the whole thing.

But why did the redhead leave her mate to deal with Bella himself? Was it James's sense of pride that drove her away, or was it the fact that Victoria knew they would be outnumbered by the Cullen family so she fled before anything went down? There were so many questions running through Bella's mind just then. Were James and Victoria mates? Was she out for revenge? Did she tell the Volturi about the Cullen's telling her about vampires?

Bella had found out about them herself. She went through the painstaking process of filtering through all of the information, going through the myths, legends, and actual facts about vampires. This whole thing seemed to be Bella's fault. If she had never moved here, if she had just stayed with Renee and Phil, none of this would've happened. She felt like such a weak and miserable failure to her girlfriend at this moment. Getting up off of the bed, she began pacing around the room. In between the desk Alice had and the bed, her feet stepped on the carpet, putting the impression of her shoes in the material.

Kate knew what Bella was thinking and had to find a way to stop her from doing so. The blonde got up from the arm chair and got in Bella's path. The teen bumped into her and sort of shocked herself out of the self berating state she was in. Then a new fear came to the surface. Now with the Cullen's gone, was Victoria going to come after her? Was she going to kill Bella like Alice had killed James? That was a thought that didn’t seem to go over well. For the first time in a long time, she felt afraid of a vampire. She didn’t voice her worries because if Alice wasn’t here, then she didn’t want to be either.

"Let me take you home, Bella." Kate's voice echoed towards her and she nodded her head.

Going down the stairs was a chore. Bella's legs still felt weak and she held onto the railing for support. Once back downstairs, the two girls looked over to the kitchen. The basket that Alice was going to use for their picnic date was still on the counter top. Bella walked over to it slowly and looked inside.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she saw her favorite snacks and sandwiches litter the bottom of the basket. Alice was always so thoughtful and kind. She was always taking Bella's needs and wants into account, never asking for anything in return. Her caring nature was one of the few things that Bella loved about her pixie. Her beauty, her talent, her kindness and love were all of the qualities that seemed to come natural to Alice. Gripping the edges of the picnic basket, Bella's knuckles turned white as minutes passed. Tears fell like rain on to the packaged food and drinks.

She pinched herself to make sure that this wasn’t a dream, but when a twinge in her arm registered in her mind, Bella began sobbing again. Alice was taken from her. Her girlfriend, her heart, her soul, her mate, had been wrenched away from her. Kate once again put a comforting hand on her shoulder and the girl turned to press her face into her chest. Walking her outside and over to her truck, Kate opened the passenger side door and let Bella get in.

The teen was in no shape to drive so Kate took it upon herself to do so.

Driving back to Bella's house was quiet and nothing was said. Bella didn’t even turn on the radio because she didn’t have the strength. Down the road from the family home, Kate looked to make sure that Charlie's police cruiser wasn’t in the drive-way. Once the coast was clear, she exited the driver seat and went over to Bella's side. The girl was sleeping once again and was leaning back against the headrest. Not having the heart to wake her, the blonde reached over and unbuckled the seatbelt and carried her to the door.

Hearing a rumble of a motorcycle engine in the distance put her in defense mode. That is until she saw the rider. It was Rachel Black. In all of her glory the native parked the vehicle and swung her leg over the seat. Kate felt the ping in her chest where her heart should be. It was a few months ago that the vampire had realized that her mate was indeed a native. It was hard to comprehend for a few days. Their families were mortal enemies; so why would fate be so cruel as to have Rachel be hers? Kate wasn’t sure if the older girl had the same pull that she did, but she did see her pause for a moment before running up to her.

Rachel took in the sight of her old friend passed out in the arms of another. What had happened at the Cullen house that would cause such a thing? For a moment she growled and shook ever so slightly, but she pushed it down to regard the blonde vampire in front of her.

"What happened?" Rachel asked as she looked over Bella's form.

There were no signs of injury that she could see, but she knew that something was going on.

"Family drama." Kate replied as she jingled Bella's set of keys in her hand.

Watching the Denali girl struggle for the house key made Rachel chuckle. She reached out and took the keys from the cold hand before her and placed it into the lock. She opened the front door and let Kate in.

Kate walked into the living room and placed Bella onto the couch. A soft snoring could be heard from the sleeping girl. Rachel went into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water before sitting on the arm of the couch near where Bella's head was resting. She uncapped the bottle and took a sip of the cool refreshing water. Kate watched her throat move from gulping down the liquid. Against her better judgement, she sighed.

Rachel set the bottle aside and turned to look at the vampire. She leaned down onto her knees as braced herself for whatever news that might come her way.

"So, give me the rundown. I can take it." She chuckled before listening intently to the story Kate had.

It took a few minutes to get through the entirety, but near the end, Rachel was clutching the denim of her long jeans. Kate knew what this would mean for her people and to say that there was going to be a shit storm coming their way was an understatement. The blonde took a chance in the next moment and placed a cold yet soft hand on top of Rachel's own. Brown turned up to meet bright gold and the two women were stuck in a deadlock. No one wanted to say anything or move a muscle because they believed that it would break the mood.

"I'm sorry Rachel."

The brunette released a breath she didn’t know she was holding and turned her hand up so that her palm met Kate's. Kate made no other move until her mate did so and the two clasped their hands together. Rachel knew that the blonde in front of her was the center of her universe now, there was no denying it anymore, but when the elders and the other's of her tribe found out, they were not going to be happy. Not one bit. There was nothing that Rachel could do about her hearts and souls desire, but that didn’t mean that her elders would try and stop the match from happening.

It was as if a switch turned on in Kate's head a second later. She got up from her spot by the fireplace and went toward the door. Rachel was close behind her but the blonde turned to look at her again.

"Bella is going to be in danger while we're gone." There was an underlying question in her sentence and her mate understood that and nodded.

"I'll watch over her. You don’t need to ask me to. " Rachel paused wanting to ask Kate a question in that final moment.

"Will you come back?" She needed to know.

Kate couldn’t answer the most important question because she didn’t have the answer.

________________________________________________________________________

Going back to the Cullen house, Kate moved about the area to gauge what had happened before she had arrived back from her hunting trip. It looked as if it was supposed to be a normal day. Alice was going to take Bella out on a date to the meadow. It was their safe haven when they needed to get away from the bustling family.

The blonde really felt bad for the pair. She knew that they were both suffering in this moment. Bella was feeling lost, confused, and guilty for bringing all of this drama to the Cullen's, while Alice felt sadness and loneliness as she was being held captive by the Volturi. Kate packed a small bag with some clothes and some essentials to make the trip to Volterra. She knew that she would have to be a witness for her best friend. The blonde knew that she would have to show her thoughts and memories to the lord and show him that Alice would never reveal herself as a vampire willingly.

As much as she hated hiding, the little vampire would never cost her freedom or her life revealing her secret to another. The elders had to see that. Kate knew that among all of the possessions she would miss, Alice would greatly want and need her precious violin. Going to the room of her best friend, she kneeled down and looked at the thick plastic case under the bed. The handle greeted her and she smiled as she reached for it. Pulling the instrument out from its spot under the bed, Kate lightly touched the top and stood up, taking the case with its beloved cargo inside. This would surely help Alice get over what time she would be away from Bella.

Turning her thoughts once again to the human, Kate couldn’t help but feel remorseful for leaving her behind. Maybe she would call or text her when she had arrived at her destination. Just to let her know that Alice and the others were alright.

As she stepped out of the room one last time, she went down the stairs and through the door leading to the garage. None of her family had brought their cars with them when they left the house, so she had her pick of the litter. Grinning when she saw the bright yellow Porsche, Kate gripped the keys from the holder by the door and unlocked the car. The garage opened from the push of a button as she settled down in the driver seat. Kate adjusted the mirror and the seat to fit her size and height and she was off in no time.

Driving through the small town, she thought about what she was leaving behind. Her best human friend, her mate, her favorite hunting spot. The blonde sighed as she drove further on to the Seattle airport. She parked in the long term parking and went inside with her two carry-on bags and Alice's violin. As she entered the threshold however, there were a lot of police nearby and also many missing people posters around the place. On every wall there seemed to be more and more of them.

Whatever it was didn’t look good at all. Kate thought as she walked through the main terminal.

Uniformed officers were everywhere as she walked to the ticket counter. Hopefully there would be a flight to Rome in the next couple of hours, or this whole trip would be for naught. A couple of the cops asked her if she had seen any of the missing teens and young adults posted on their pieces of paper, but she had just shook her head and apologized for not being any further help.

A voice flittered over their radio chatter and once the message had ended, Kate heard on of the police officers sigh.

"That's the fifth kid in the span of a week."

The blonde vampire had no idea what was going on, but she did know was that there might be a proverbial shit storm right around the corner.


	7. Chapter 7

As the days went by, Bella found herself in a state of shock. None of the Cullen's or the Denali's had contacted her in any way, and when she had tried reaching out to them, all of their numbers were disconnected. Even their emails were deactivated. Was this the Volutri's doing, or someone else's it was hard to tell. Bella went through the motions of everyday life. Going to school and doing her homework, but other than that, she either stayed home in bed or on the couch with her father; staring aimlessly at the television. It was something that Charlie had noticed early on and he was greatly concerned for his daughter.

He talked to Rachel for a little while on the subject, but the girl hadn’t given him much detail either. She only stated that the Cullen's and the Denali's had moved away. It was a cover story of course, but it wasn’t like she could tell the poor man what was really afflicting Bella.

Nighttime was the worst of it however. Every time Bella closed her turquoise eyes, she saw something horrifying. There was one nightmare that James had come back from the dead and killed her, one was where Victoria had succeeded in her revenge, but the worst one was the one where Alice was either killed or tortured right in front of her. The pixie's limbs were torn off right in front of her, each with an agonizing slowness that made Bella see every tendon and every muscle stretch and detach from the body. The teenager screamed at the top of her lungs at the sight of her mate being killed slowly but surely. The final painful death coming over her as the fire torched her skin. Bella would run to her corpse burning in the flame to try and save her but the nightmare had taken control of her mind. There was nothing she could do in the end but watch as her lover burned to ash.

There were early mornings when Charlie would come home from work and wake her from her terror. He would tell her to try to get some sleep, but on nights such as those, there was no way that Bella would get any rest at all.

Each day Bella would call Kate's phone asking for any progress on the situation and every time, the phone would tell her that the number had been disconnected. When that didn’t work, she would use email, but of course that was to no avail as well. Some times Bella would take a chance and try Alice's contact information too, just to try and see what was going on, just to have Alice tell her that everything was going to be okay.

Day after day the light faded from Bella's once bright eyes. In a way, she felt abandoned. The cuff on her wrist laid there on her skin like a bright brand. Looking from that to the teeth marks on her forearm was an unfortunate contrast. The white scars on her arms littered her skin. Taunted her like a bully in school. They sneered and laughed at her in her mourning state. It made Bella want to cut them off, to make them go away; the voice's, the laughter. Everything about them now haunted her.

Every day felt like a curse without Alice and her family there. Even at school, she was just there, going through the motions. Bella didn’t even sit at the table she had with her friends. She sat by herself at the famous Cullen table and looked out the window. Never eating or drinking, just staring out into the distance reliving the time she had first saw Alice at the window. He perfectly spiky hair all around her head; as if forming a dark halo around her. The pale skin of her neck that house the Cullen crest choker. The thin ribbon laying there perfectly gracing the smooth polished skin. Then her eyes; boring into her like a spear to her heart. At first it was jolting and slightly terrifying, but then the golden amber encased her like a warm blanket. Everything was perfect about the small Cullen vampire. Bella waited for her return every day, but no one came. No one called. There was nothing to even indicate that Alice was even still alive. So Bella wallowed there in her grief for what seemed like ages.

Charlie watched over her, day in and day out, wondering when she would come out of her funk. Of course, Bella was a teenage girl and needed some time to cope with the changes in her life, and he respected that, but as November was right around the corner, the police chief really wanted his daughter to get out and do somethings with her friends.

"Hey Bells. Why don’t you go see a movie with your friends?" He asked her one day after she had gotten home from school.

Looking into his kid's eyes was hard for the father. Charlie wound up giving her a wad of cash to go out with a couple of friends. To go see a movie, to go to a restaurant, anything to get her out of the house.

Bella smiled weakly at him and said.

"What, you don’t like my company anymore dad?"

Giving Bella a once over look, he noticed everything about her just sunken and lackluster.

"I know you've had a rough go of it since the Cullen's moved away, but you have to realize that there are other people out there. Like Rachel and Jacob, and your friends from school." Charlie walked up to her and placed his arms around her shoulders in a hug.

It took Bella a moment to relax into the hug and return it, but the emotion was there behind it. Charlie sighed with relief and kept on hugging his daughter for a long moment before she agreed to ask her friends the next day about the movie. She went upstairs not long after that and went into her room. He wondered if tonight would be like every other night for the past two months and silently hoped that it would be.

_____________________________________________________________________

Alice's POV after the Cullen abduction

The flight didn’t last long in Alice's point of view, if anything she wished it had gone by more slowly. The jet was filled with her family and the Volturi coven. No one had spoken, not a single person. Everyone wondered however what was going to happen next. Irina and Tanya wondered what their sister had been up to in the past couple of hours, Alice was grief stricken about leaving Bella behind, and Esme gripped her husband's hand hoping that Aro would see that Carlisle nor her family had betrayed him.

The plane landed at the seemingly small compound. On the surface, it was but a clock tower surrounded by a church with some other smaller buildings, but underneath the ground was something else entirely. Some visiting covens would scoff at the irony at such a place, but they would keep silent about it. Kept out of sight, the group of vampires all walked to the steel elevator that led down to the actual Volturi compound, where Aro and his brothers were obviously waiting. Walking from the landing pad to the elevator seemed to be like a prisoner walking to their execution.

Alice looked down at the floor with her hands plastered at her sides. Her father and mother were on either side of her with the guard behind her. Alice looked at both of them with worried eyes, but Carlisle just smiled lightly trying to convey that everything was going to be fine. The calm smile didn’t reach his eyes however and the large family was led into the white council chamber not far from the elevator.

Once in front of the three lords, Jane used her gift on Alice to make her kneel. The pain coursing through her body was extreme but somehow, she held back her discomfort. Her head bowed as her hair covered the sides of her face. Alice struggled to look up into the lords bright red and angry eyes. Aro was pissed. His eyes conveyed his betrayed state of mind and he threw his arm into the air and told his guard to take Alice away. The pixie vampire was jostled from her kneeling position and all but carried to where they held all of their prisoners. It was dark and dank. No bit of sunlight filtered through the cracks in the walls. The moisture from the humidity in the air covered the dark red bricks that covered the lower walls of the compound.

Dew dripped down the stones as she was thrown into the vacant jail cell. It was a large one, but it was a jail cell none the less. It was spacious, with a cot by the back wall. Alice could hear the rustling of other prisoners in their cells, but made no move to speak out to them. Looking to the flat cushion on the back wall, she resigned herself to her fate and sat upon it.

For days Alice sat there, just wondering what was going on above ground. Was Carlisle talking to Aro about the situation? Was her father taken to another cell somewhere else in the compound? Was the lord thinking about executing them in the next few days? Alice shook her head to clear it of any thought.

A streak of blonde hair went passed her and as she looked toward the door of her cell, there stood her best friend. Kate Denali, somehow found her way to the Volturi compound. She didn’t come empty handed however. A familiar black case was in her hands. A small smile ghosted over her lips.

"Kate!" She whispered as she went to the bars and wrapped her long fingers around it.

"Hey Tink, I thought you might be needing this." Kate waved the violin case ever so slightly to tease her sister in law.

Alice reached forward with a shaking hand to grasp the black plastic handle. It was clear to the blonde that Alice hadn't fed in a good while. A couple of days even. It wasn’t looking good for the pixie. She hoped that Alice could hold out just a little while longer.

The tiny Cullen placed her violin case on the makeshift cot and opened it slowly. She released a tiny breath from her lips and smiled seeing the shiny instrument once again. Touching the wood lightly, it was like waking up from a nightmare, if only for a moment. Remembering her mate however seemed to bring her out of her hypnosis. She went back to the bars again and looked with wide eyes to her best friend.

"I need you to go back and look after Bella."

Kate seemed to be shocked by this but she also understood why Alice would ask this of her.

"I thought I would come and help you with the council. Surely you'd need all the help you can get."

Alice thought about this for a moment before shaking her head. She already had Carlisle, Esme, and the others to help her in this time. What she needed Kate to do now, was look after her mate. There was no telling what danger Bella could get herself into while she was gone.

"Please, Kate. I need you to make sure she's safe." Alice pleaded with the blonde for a good moment before the Denali girl finally relented.

Kate had her own reasons for returning to the small town, but she wasn’t in a hurry to leave just yet. She wanted to spend some time with her sisters and her other coven mates. She also wanted to take some time for herself to kind of wrap her head around all that was happening to her. So Kate would take her time going back to Forks, but she would return. The blonde reached her hand out for Alice to take, and the pixie took it without hesitation. The two shared a look that conveyed more than gratitude, more than sisterhood.

Once Kate and Alice let go of each other the blonde made a silent and solemn vow to not let any harm come to the human girl when she returned to Forks. For now however, she needed to see her sisters.

At the Denali Villa, Kate met with Irina and Tanya and conveyed how grateful she was to see them alive and unharmed. The two girls were a dramatic contrast to her best friend who now resided in a jail cell. She wondered if the rest of the Cullen's would bring Alice some blood in the near future. Kate told the two about her visit with Alice and they talked much about what had happened with Bella during the abduction

Once she was done with her story, both Irina and Tanya looked down at the floor in sadness. Surely Alice and her mate didn’t deserve such heartbreak and despair. They felt really bad for leaving Bella behind without a word, and even when they tried to phone her, they realized that their devices were disconnected. When she heard this Kate tried her own phone, but there wasn’t any service, cellular or otherwise.

"Damn!" Kate yelled as she threw down the contraption and it broke into tiny pieces.

The insides of the phone now littered the tile floor. Kate paced around angrily trying to figure out how to contact Bella. No one had an answer because even their emails had been disconnected.

"Ani Kokot!" The blonde yelled yet again but this time in her native tongue.

It was rare for Kate to revert back to her native language, but when she did, it meant that she was really angry. Tanya and Irina stood away from their sister as she went on her way swearing up and down the villa. Some of the words she used in her Slavic language would've made her sisters blush if they had the ability. There was no telling the amount of anger the firetouch had when it came to the Volturi in that moment. Hopefully the council would see the error of their ways soon enough and they could all go home.

When Kate calmed down enough to tell her sisters that she would be going back to Forks, the two nodded their heads knowing that someone had to look after Bella. She also stated that she may have found her mate there as well. The two blondes were surprised when Kate had told them about her shifter, but they were happy for her. They three girls hugged and Kate was once again on her way back to the United States. It was hard to say goodbye of course, the three only had each other for so long. It was just the three girls against the world after Sasha had died. With teary eyes she left the villa and went on toward the Rome airport.

For months Alice sat in that large, dark and dank cell. She didn’t see a soul other than her family. The pixie couldn’t even call her mate for fear that she would be next on the Volturi's list. Her violin was a small comfort. Every song she played she either wrote herself or knew by heart. The days all blurred together and she couldn’t tell whether it had been a week or a month. She was going mad with hunger. No one would let her feed. It was only until she was on the floor trying to catch rats, that Esme was allowed to bring her animal blood fitting for a Cullen.

When Esme walked through the hall it was like a godsend. Alice took the blood bag with shaking hands and drank greedily from the parcel. The plastic made the blood taste a little stale but she could deal with it for the time being. After the liquid was gone and her hunger had been sated, Alice and Esme both talked about the state of her father. Her mother smiled weakly saying that Carlisle was fine physically, but emotionally he was no doing so well.

It turned out that the blonde had been cut off from any contact, just like Alice had been save for that one interaction with Kate however many days ago. Esme had just came from him, bringing her husband the same blood bag she had brought to Alice. The pixie wasn’t too keen on staying her for very much longer. The two talked a little longer about what was going on in the outside world. The family seemed to be beside themselves however. Not knowing what to do or what was going to happen next was very stressful. Emmett had punched some holes in a couple of walls when they had first arrived in the Cullen villa. Rosalie was doing the same thing but in a more controlled environment.

Jasper kept pacing and hunting when he needed to. Then when he came back from hunting, he just sat in a chair, staring at the walls. It seemed that the absence of the two important family members took its toll on everyone. Even Esme had lost some of her luster with her husband being imprisoned. Alice went over to the bars and relished in Esme's touch, however brief. Her mother's comforting touch was enough for now, even if she couldn’t have Bella.

Esme had left soon after that but it didn’t mean the end of her visits. It seemed that Aro had calmed down enough for her family to come and visit her. The Cullen's were all together for a few moments at least save for Carlisle. Alice had hoped that the blonde man was still well and safe in his matching jail cell.

One unknown day, Alice looked to the door of her cell and found the little blonde Jane. The small Cullen tensed at the sight of her for fear she would use her gift on her again, but no pain washed over her. The little girl simply tilted her head to the side.

"My lord wishes to speak with you and your father." Jane uttered the words but Alice could scarcely believe it.

She had thought that perhaps Aro's mate Sulpicia was finally able to get him to at least have an audience with the accused. Sure they were vampires, but that didn’t mean that they were cruel and inhumane. Jane took a key from her pocket and placed it in the lock before turning it to the left. When Alice heard the click of the lock, she verbally sighed and relaxed for a moment.

Jane reached her arm out for Alice to exit the cell, and so the pixie stepped out of what appeared to be her home for the past couple of weeks? Months? Alice really couldn’t tell; nor did she care at the moment. The only thing she cared about was telling her story to Aro.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ani Kokot-Fuck All (in Slavic.)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I changed the movie scene a little bit. Since I didn't want the drama of a love triangle, I had everyone go the movie like originally planned.

After Bella promised her father that she would try to hang out with some of her school friends again, she went to school the next day with a slightly better outlook. Bella got to the parking lot early before many more of the students showed up and she just sat against the frame of her truck. Gazing at the now empty parking spaces that once housed the Cullen's cars, she closed her eyes imagining Alice walking up to her with that confident stride. Each step she took had purpose and grace. It was like a fairytale princess come to life.

Bella opened her eyes once more as the other kids began driving up and occupying the other empty spaces in the parking lot. Tyler Crowley and his new girlfriend Lauren Mallory showed up holding hands and smiling happily. Next was Angela. Thankfully the girl was just as alone as she was. No new beau to hang on to. Her friend walked up to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. A moment later that same hand wrapped around her and Bella leaned her head against Angela's shoulder. Jessica and Mike showed up together as well. Mike was the ever knowing gentleman and opened the door for his girlfriend. Jessica hung on his every word until she saw Angela and Bella standing together. She ran over to her friends soon after and hugged Bella around the waist

All three of them stood there for a good moment before going toward the cafeteria for breakfast. Sure Bella didn’t feel like eating, but she also didn’t feel like being reprimanded by her friends either. So she got her usual tray filled with a couple of pancakes with some fruit and juice. Walking out of the line once she paid her tab, Bella looked over to the empty table by the window. It had been her only spot for the past couple of months. Angela met her eyes and the brunette finally joined her old friends at the cafeteria table. Hopefully this would be the first step to recovery from her heartbreak.

She mentioned the movie and dinner idea with the group, Angela and Jessica jumped at the chance, so did Tyler and Mike. Lauren seemed less than thrilled at the idea of sharing her boyfriend but agreed to tag along. Bella was rather excited about the idea of hanging out with people again and couldn’t wait for Friday to roll around.

The teen arrived home that day with good news for her dad and Charlie was overjoyed to hear that Bella was hanging out with people again and not sulking up in her room. The next few days passed by rather quickly and it was the day of the movie. Bella had seen Rachel and Jacob in town a few days before while doing her grocery shopping and invited the pair to join her and her friends. Rachel couldn’t because of some family stuff, but Jacob was free to do as he wished. The native girl told her how being the first born sucked and grumbled when they had to leave.

So it was Angela, Jessica, Jacob, Mike, Lauren and Tyler that greeted her at the small theater. The group had a hard time of what to watch, but Bella said as long as it wasn’t a romance, she could deal with whatever.

They chose an action movie and went to the seats. Of course Jake wanted to sit next to Bella, since Alice and the rest of the Cullen's were gone, but Jessica and Angela dragged the girl over with them, thus killing any dream the Quileute boy might've had. Bella ate most of her popcorn during the previews and waited for the opening credits.

_______________________________________________________________________

The family obligation that Rachel had that fateful Friday night was to patrol the area for any vamps that might be in the area. Other than the Cullen's and the Denali's who's scent had faded over the recent weeks, vampires were their enemies. The chosen Quileute were tasked with this and while many shifted, Rachel chose to stay in her current state. She was just as fast and as agile in her original form so she didn’t shift with the others. Torn clothes did her no good in the end anyway.

Joining Sam and Paul while they patrolled the area was a chore. The self proclaimed 'Alpha' of the group was headstrong and rushed into any conflict that might reveal itself. His right-hand man seemed no better. Paul was quick to anger and needed to gain control of his temper if he ever wanted to succeed in this pack they made for themselves.

Rachel heard the howls of the wolves in the distance to say that there was no threat here for the time being. Her nose and ears perked up to convey a scent and sound that did not match either the Cullen's or the Denali. It made her nose burn. Covering the nostrils with her forearm she began to shake with anger. Was this the redheaded bitch that Bella and Kate warned her about? Her feet carried her quickly to the spot that held the strongest scent.

Looking all around, her deep brown eyes caught nothing but the trees and grass below her. A certain snickering above her however brought her attention to the high branches in the trees. There she was, a red eyed vamp with unruly fiery red hair. A wicked smile was plastered on her beautiful, pristine face. There was no cracks or wrinkles that would signify old age or any imperfection among her that might reveal a weakness of some kind.

Perched above the Quileute, Victoria sneered at the scent of the wet dog. She also smiled at the fact that now her other enemies had now been seen. The bronze skinned girl beneath her shook with the familiar rage inside of her. The beast inside was waiting to be unleashed. For some reason however, this one had control of her inner self. Had control of her true self. Victoria puckered her lips in thought as she contemplated the situation.

'She's here.' Rachel thought from her current position.

She knew the others would be around shortly, but she needed time to distract the redhead. Her deep brown began to shift into a bright gold that symbolized her birthright. Rachel held back her body, knowing that would have full control over her if she had relaxed in the slightest. When she had first come to know about her ancestors, she swore to herself that she would not be defined by them. While others in her village showed their bellies to the change, Rachel would not. So she controlled her anger and breathed deeply through her nose, no matter the stink and the burning sensation that came over her.

"Awe, Little Pup doesn’t want to play." Victoria mocked.

With a growl, Rachel replied.

"I can do just fine on my own."

Jumping from tree to tree, she reached the higher branches and began to trade blows with the vampire before her. Fighting on the small limbs of the trees was not easy in the slightest, but Rachel knew that she had to protect Bella. She had to make sure that the girl stayed safe while the Cullen's were gone.

With no sign of when they would return, Rachel gave it her all to protect her best friend. She promised her imprint that she would. The thoughts of the Denali girl wove through her mind. It gave her a certain strength she never knew before. Her fists flew as Kate's bright smile echoes across her minds eye. The softness of her hair and the pale smoothness of her skin. The strawberry scent that wasn’t the same sickly sweet of her families. Rachel's body began to relax and her anger began to dissipate as she thought of the blonde vampire.

Her fists still pummeled the strong stone like skin of her opponent, but they were more precise and she made hits that brought the red head to her knees. Victoria became frightened of this one's control. Rachel Black was no mere pup, that was for sure. The nomad began to fear for her life and her need to survive kicked in. Seeing the Quileute above her, Victoria swiped a leg at her ankles. When the foot made contact, Rachel lost her balance and fell hard and fast to the ground. Her back made contact with the forest floor and the sticks and leaves that covered it. She screamed out in pain but saw the vampire leap down in front of her.

The deep gold of her inner self shifted back into the deep brown of her natural eye color. She laid there silent as Victoria stepped closer and closer to her prone form. She crouched down and quickly grasped the throat of her enemy. As much as she would love to kill this one, Victoria had one goal in mind. The howls and the growling in the close distance, made her eyes widen and she let go.

The chase began soon after Victoria released Rachel from her shivering hold. Regaining her footing, she ran after the red eyed vampire with her comrades close behind her. She heard the frustrated growls from either side of her and heard a voice in her mind.

'You had her!' The voice said angrily.

Bright yellow eyes met her deep brown ones from her right side.

'Shut up, Paul. You wouldn’t have lasted a second against her."

'ENOUGH!' 

A new voice echoed through the telepathic communication. Sam Uley was not pleased with the girl at the moment, but he knew that Rachel was not the main and current problem. Paul and Rachel ceased their angry banter and kept chase after the vampire. They didn’t want her to have free reign over their reservation, nor the small town of the humans. The pack needed to destroy her now, or there was no telling what Victoria might do.

A few meters down the overgrown forest path, one of the Quileute's tried to grasp the vampire, but she sped up at the last second just escaping the massive jaws behind her. The wolf's teeth clamped down on air and a frustrated growl echoed throughout the wood. Victoria jumped into the air once more using her left foot to push herself off of a tree trunk and higher out of their reach. Rachel went after her, but was always one step behind her. Following closely, red eyes chanced a look behind her shoulder and saw the bronze skinned girl just behind her. A smile echoed upon her lips once more as she thought of this chase as a game of tag.

Of course the red head's survival ability would let her outrun anyone, but the vampire let herself feel a sense of childlike giddiness. Dropping back down to the ground, Victoria saw the edge of the native's land and booked it faster than she had before.

The muscles in Rachel's legs burned at the strain of keeping her speed that of the vampire's. Her lungs were frozen from the cold air she was breathing and her chest felt tight. Even though her birthright gave her much, she was still in her natural form. Rachel pushed her feet and legs harder and harder until she was neck and neck with Victoria. Both girls saw the edge of the cliff just before them, and Rachel knew that if she didn’t catch her now, there was a large possibility that the vampire might return with a larger force; one of her own making.

Reaching out a bronze hand to grip her enemies shoulder, in a flash it was gone. Victoria leaped into the air and made an almost impossible jump across the crevice that separated the Quileute land from Cullen. Coming up to the cliff herself, Rachel skidded to a halt and almost lost her balance at the edge. Flailing her arms about, she caught herself before she plunged into the rocky waters below.

Watching the red hair disappear from sight, Rachel gripped her fists tightly and screamed out in anger. Her angry war cry made the trees themselves shake with fear. The birds and small animals that made their homes there fluttered and skittered away. Paul and Sam walked in next to her on each side of her. Paul scoffed at her emotion, but Sam's face didn’t show anything at all. There was no ounce of pity or jest in his tense and firm jaw.

Embry and Quil, who were new to the small group ran up behind her and Embry placed a hand on her shoulder; telling her that he did not blame her for Victoria's escape. Quil began to speak, but as soon as he took the breath into his lungs, Rachel got up and angrily walked away. Once back in the trees, her walk became a run and her clothes began to rip and tear. Not caring for the state of the cloth anymore, she ran through the forest and back to the reservation where her father and the other elders were waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Rachel is not in the books or movies, I really wanted to portray her as one who is more in control of her emotions and therefore has a tighter reign on her inner self. She doesn't transform much and there is a reason for that. Rachel (In my story) is the first female to shift, and so she doesn't want to be tied down by her destiny. I will elaborate on her wolf form in later chapters as well. Also we'll check up on Kate and what she's up to in the next chapter. What could be going through her mind?
> 
> PS: Jake will have his turn soon. Since there's a bit of vampire activity in the area, maybe I'll have Jake come down with the stomach ache in the next couple of chapters.


	9. Chapter 9

With a newfound zest for life, Bella had returned to visiting La Push to hang out with Jake, Leah, Embry, Quil, and of course Rachel. Leah and Jake however were the only two in attendance for a while. Jake taught her how to fix and ride motorcycles and Leah was always there to keep him in check. Of course the younger boy would try to flirt with Bella and touch her whenever the opportunity allowed itself. Like when she rode one of his motorbikes for the first time, his bulky calloused hand covered hers on the handlebar. Telling her where the clutch and the gearshift was, a polite smile weaved across her lips, but there was something in his gaze when Jake looked down at her. With his superior height, he towered over her with no problem at all.

Starting the motorbike, Bella kept her balance and drifted forward across the dirt and rocky gravel. A few meters down the way however, she heard a slight voice on the wind. It was musical, soft and familiar. The green eyes flickered around her looking for the visage of her girlfriend.

_"Bella."_ Alice's voice called to her.

The teenager blinked her eyes and saw a ghostly apparition of her love on the right of her. Turning her head away from the road to look upon her, Bella lost sight of the road. The handlebars in her grasp began to swivel and turn in wild directions. Her once sturdy grip began to waver and her arms shook with uncertainty. 

In the back of her mind she could swear that she heard Jake's voice in her ear, telling her to watch the curve before her. Bella's eyes widened at the log that was right in front of her. She didn’t have time to stop and the front tire of the motorbike crashed into the side of the barren light brown obstacle. Flipping over the front of the contraption, Bella landed flat on her back and groaned as her head hit the wood that was now behind her.

There was a ringing sound in the teenager's ears and she held the back of her head, hoping that there wasn’t any blood. The overcast sun stared down at her and her eyes squinted at the light. The bright shine was blocked by a face looking down at her with worry. Jacob Black looked down at his crush and worried over any injury that may have befallen her.

"Oh my God, Bella! Are you okay?" He asked as he took her hand and helped her up.

Still dumbfounded by the sight of Alice before her, Bella looked all around hoping for another glimpse of the vampire. None was found however and her eyes looked sad once more. She recovered quickly however and gave a smile to her longtime friend.

"Yeah Jake, I'm fine."

The next half an hour was spent with Leah, Seth and Jacob asking her the most basic questions. Her name, where she was, what year it was; those were all there. Jake and the small crew brought her over to Leah's cousins house where the young woman greeted her kindly. There was a large scar upon her right cheek. It looked like she had been mauled by a bear. The description seemed fitting, but Bella did stare at it for a good moment after she entered the home.

Green eyes turned to Leah as Bella wondered about her friend's state of mind. Was Leah still angry with her cousin? Could they ever be close again? When Bella saw Emily hug her friend around the shoulders, it looked like the embrace was received well. Leah even returned the hug and sat down at the large round table.

"How are you doing Bella?" Emily turned her sights onto the teen who had come in with her cousins and Jake.

The pale skinned Bella blushed at being regarded by a beauty such as Emily. Her smooth copper skin and her glossy black hair was that of a model. What was she doing here? The only thing that even marred her skin was that large scar. Bella found herself staring, and couldn’t look away from the mark. It still seemed angry, but closed none the less.

Dark eyes turned to see where Bella was looking and smiled giving the explanation she had practiced so many times before.

"I was out camping one day when I bear crossed my path. The poor thing was just hungry and went for my food. I was apparently in his way." Emily touched the puckered skin on her cheek softly.

When the others in the small group had asked if there was anything for Bella to eat or drink, Emily went to it fixing her a meal. The smells overpowering her nose in that moment reminded her of Esme's cooking. Fondly remembering the mother, Bella sighed and waited for the meal. Eating it with gusto, Jake and the others looked fondly at her, thankful that she hadn't lost her appetite.

Leah and Seth stayed a little while longer, but when Bella said she needed to return home Jacob jumped at the chance to drive her. She was still woozy from her little tumble earlier anyway. A few chattered voices echoed over the great expanse of La Push and Bella looked over to find Rachel coming out of the woods with Sam and some of the other older boys. Even Quil and Embry were with them. Rachel turned her eyes to her friend and waved before running over to her and her brother.

Some of the boys watched her retreating form and shook their heads before walking off toward Emily's house. 

Once in front of the pair, Rachel wove her arm around Jake's neck and tossed him down for a noogie.

"You heading out Bells?" She asked her friend.

Bella nodded before retelling the story of her fall from the motorbike. Rachel looked at Jake with anger and punched him in the arm. Reprimanding him for putting their friend in such danger, she told him to go home, that she would deal with him later. The boy walked solemnly away from the scene and toward his own house.

Rachel now tasked herself with bringing Bella home. The teenager gave the keys to her best friend and the two were off out of the reservation. When Bella asked how she was going to get home, Rachel just shrugged her shoulders and said that she needed a walk anyway.

A couple of more minutes pass as the comfortable silence continues all the way back to Bella's house. Once the pair was in her driveway, Bella reached over and hugged Rachel's warm body to her. Having her best friend with her during this tumultuous time was something of a miracle. 

Getting out of the truck, the two girls walked up to Bella's front door and the owner asked her friend if she would like to stay for a drink or something to eat. Rachel politely declined and hugged the teen goodbye before heading back down the steps. Once far enough away from the two story building, she let her mind wander to all of the things that have happened in the past weeks that the Cullen's and Denali's were away.

The first and main problem Rachel and her tribe was facing right now is the re-emergence of Victoria. The violent red head had shown her face among them looking for Bella no doubt. Kate had warned her that her friend was going to be in danger when they were gone. Sighing at the thought of her imprint, Rachel continued to think about the blonde vampire. She had been caught doing so on several occasions by others in the tribe.

The young men she patrolled with were disgusted about her choice of imprint, even tried to sway her in a different direction. She was a Quileute, her imprint wasn’t only a Denali girl, but also a vampire. A damned vampire who didn’t have the heart to love another in their eyes. Rachel often shook her head at such baseless and out of tuned opinions. There wasn’t anything that they could do to ease her out of such a hold. Imprints weren't chosen by pack. They were chosen by fate. Maybe this was fate's way of bridging the gap between their races. Maybe it was trying to let go of the past and make way for a better future. Who knows? Rachel knew better than to question fate anymore.

She remembered when she had first arrived home for the holiday season. She wasn’t planning on staying long, but one night after a meeting with Billy and the rest of the Elders had changed that. Rachel's stomach began to grumble and burn, she grew at least five extra inches tall, and her muscle content was off the charts. Her hunger was nothing to sneeze at either. Her body began to burn with fever like it never had before. It was scary the first time she changed.

Rachel could remember the time her bones and joints shifted. When her body grew double it's natural size. When she didn’t communicate in words, but in growls and sniffs. At first she was terrified. The older Black girl had no idea that this could or would happen to her. She had dreams you know. Dreams of finishing school, and getting as far away from Forks as humanly possible. That could never be now.

Bella returning to the childhood small town was a blessing in disguise. For not only had she gained something to ground her here, but she also found her answer to it all. Kate was everything to her now. Her sense of gravity but also her cloud nine. Whenever she was around the Denali, it was hard not to swoon. It was hard for her to keep such a calm and collected composure around the blonde.

Nothing made perfect sense. There was always something to throw a wrench in whatever plan she had for herself; but now, now that there was a possibility of her not being alone anymore, she was okay with whatever came next.

_______________________________________________

While Rachel was thinking of Kate, Kate was also thinking of Rachel. After she had left Volterra, she made a beeline for her homeland. It had changed drastically in the many years she had been away. There were so many buildings, and wires crossing for phonelines and trolley lines. Looking up toward the sky though, it was the only thing that brought her a feeling of familiarity. The weather was still shit. Kate chuckled as she placed her hands in her pockets, careful not to touch any of the humans that walked the streets.

The blonde could feel the misty rain that washed over her, almost cleansing her in a way. Golden eyes flittered all over the streets. What was once green lush grass and farmland was now concrete buildings with the one or two castles in the distance. So many cultures and so many people had taken this country as their own. First it was the Celtic Boii tribe. They founded the first settlement here. Then the Romans. Their dreams of fantastic wine making country fresh in their minds. After that the Slavs made their home in the ruins of Roman culture. That's where Katrina came in to the picture. The blonde had no clue that there were other creatures in this world other than humans and animals; but she had been so naïve.

There were indeed things that went bump in the night. She had found out first hand protecting a highborn of her tribe. The blonde was good at her role. Courageous and meticulous with any detail of protection and patrol, Kate had once prided herself in that regard. That was in fact the reason Sasha had changed her in the first place. She saw bravery and righteousness in her.

Thoughts of her mother surfaced and the blonde felt a slight melancholy. Her face dropped as she walked through the crowds of people. Sasha had taught her much in the years they had spent together as a family. Tanya was her older sister in many respects and Irina was the baby of the family. So many days and nights hunting and bonding as sisters and as a family. That’s why it hurt so bad to lose Sasha. All they had found was her arm and nothing else. Not ash, not any other parts of her but that one arm.

For years it lead to confusion and pain. There was no closure for the three girls the leader of the coven had taken in. Tanya had led her sisters through their grief, always being the rock that kept them steady.

Now there was another in her life that held a certain importance to her. Rachel Black sure was a mystery. Her scent was that of pine and musk that Kate couldn’t describe. Sure the wet dog smell never went away, but unlike the rest of her family, there was something else behind it. The way that the Quileute girl cared about Bella, about humans in general, and about her family was nothing short of amazing. She was wasn’t blinded by the past or by her tribes way of dealing with vampires. There were so many things that made Rachel so different from the rest.

Being away from her wasn’t an easy task. In truth, she wanted to race back to the small town of Forks to get to know Rachel better. To see if the bond had been true for her as well. Kate walked to a nearby alley way and made sure that no one was looking before jumping up and grasping the ladder to the fire escape. Pulling herself up and going to the roof of a nearby building gave her a sense of peace in the hustle and bustle of the large town.

Thinking about her mate, Kate really wanted to focus on her features. Her brown eyes that resembled swirling pools of liquid chocolate, her midnight hair that was a far contrast to her own bleached wheat color. It looked so soft to the touch, not unlike her russet skin. The blonde remembered the flush that tinged such a beautiful shade when she had seen her last. Looking up at the horizon of the town, Kate sighed and put a foot up on the lifted edge of the roof. She leaned on her knee and just kept her golden eyes on the skyline, briefly wondering if Rachel was looking up at the same sky as she was now.

Taking a deep breath through her nose, she took in the scent of all of the humans in the area. None stood out to her. None grabbed her like it did in the past, when she drank the blood of these people. Maybe a few more days here would do her some good. It would give her some time to wrap her head around all that was happening and all that would unfold in the future.

She couldn’t see into it like Alice could, but maybe that was a good thing. Never being surprised about the future seemed dull.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot here, so be prepared to fill your brain with this chapter.

A few more weeks pass with no sign of Victoria or the Cullen's returning to Forks. Bella had chanced a walk up to the meadow that she had shared with Alice. The upturned roots from the trees surrounding the area, made it slightly difficult to traverse the area. There were a few times when Bella had either lost her balance or outright tripped over something in the woods. In her mind it seemed that their spot was the only thing that Bella had left of her girlfriend. There was still no word from her pixie or anyone else in the family. It really tugged at her from time to time, but spending her free days with Jake, Rachel and her friends from school had eased some of the pain.

There came a time when the teenager had to sit down with the Black boy and tell him that she wasn’t interested in what he wanted to give her. Thankfully he wasn’t too upset with her about her decision, but he needed a few days to cool off. This was such a day. So with nothing else to do, Bella made the trek up to her favorite meadow. When she broke the tree line however, what she saw made her heart break into a thousand tiny pieces.

Her sure strides turned in wobbly knees as she took in the sight of her precious meadow burned to nothing but cinders. The dark brown brunt grass was tough and course to the touch; the once soft green now gone from her mind. Who could've done such a thing? No one knew of this spot; no one but Bella and Alice.

Was there someone that had assumed that this small piece of heaven was theirs? Did Victoria see this spot and set it aflame because it was something beautiful and pure? Bella walked to the center of the small crater in the middle of the burnt field and knelt down, touching the grass there. Mourning the loss, she felt the steps of another in her midst.

Turquoise eyes peeked up and saw a vampire with red eyes standing before her. His full height now towering over her, she stood up on shaky legs. This one looked familiar. Sharing the likeness of Emmett, Bella's eyes scoured over the taller boy in front of her. Minutes of silence passed as she tried to place where she had seen him before. Then he spoke.

"Hello Bella."

Her eyes widened and she flailed back onto her bottom onto the grass beneath her. It was Riley. He had come back to Forks for some reason and she didn’t want to find out why; she just wanted him gone. Riley crouched down in front of Bella and put out his hands in surrender.

"I'm not here to hurt you Bella. I'm here to warn you. Victoria is coming for you. She's the reason why the Cullen's were taken. She wanted you defenseless while she hunted you." He sighed before continuing.

Bella looked at him strangely. When they had met before, Riley was one of the reasons why she had been injured by James. He was partly the reason for her being bitten by him. He seemed rather savage the last time they had met, but now he was calm and collected. What had changed?

"Vicky didn’t take into account that you had other 'friends' watching over you." Riley said while rubbing his brow.

Still fearful and unsure of the nomad's goal here, Bella got up slowly and never took her eyes off of the man. It was then however, that the wind picked up and blew her scent in his direction. Riley rolled his head to the side and tried not to breath in the wickedly good scent of the human before him, but his resistance was futile.

His once ruby red eyes went black as coal and his teeth extended to a point. Riley was hungry, that was a fact.

"Run." He said

Bella's heart raced and she screamed as she ran away from the hungry vampire. She ran back to her truck but it seemed almost too far away for her. There was no way that she would reach it in time before Riley caught up with her and fed from her.

She heard the growls of some other beast in the forest surrounding her, but there was nothing she could see. Were they here to help her or were they here to help Riley? His screams and wails in the distance behind her answered her question. She felt bad for the man who was now being ripped to pieces, but with their past as a rather tumultuous one, Bella couldn’t bring herself to care too much.

Her heart still beat a mile a minute as she got back into the red pick-up truck and drove home once more. She needed someone to talk to. Now with the loss of the only thing that tied her to Alice gone, Bella needed a friend.

Taking her phone from her pocket, Bella dialed the now familiar number of Rachel Black. It went straight to voicemail which seemed odd. Then she tried Jake's phone, that too had no answer. In her frustration, she flung the electronic device out of the window and it shattered on the pavement. Bella knew that she would regret it later, but now she just wanted to scream and vent. That’s exactly what she did when she came up on a stop sign.

Yelling at the top of her lungs, she raged and shook the steering wheel. Her face marred with anger as well as sadness. Her mind just a jumble of thoughts and emotions wafting off of her in waves. Where was everyone? Where was Alice? She had no answers to any of the questions. The only answer that she did have, was to who had been responsible for her torment. In the back of her mind, Bella always knew that the red head would exact her revenge, but she had no idea how Victoria had come up with such a plan.

She wished briefly that Riley had held back long enough to tell her more about the villainess's plan. What was she going to do next? Was she going to try and lure Bella out somehow? Was she going to attack her at home? Those were the new questions surrounding her.

Walking through the front door of her house minutes later, Bella made a beeline for the landline phone and called Billy Black's house. The elder answered the phone and she was wondering where his children were at the moment. There was a pause on the line before Billy's voice echoed in her ear.

"Sorry Bella, I'm afraid Jake is ill and Rachel is out at the moment."

There was something about his voice that gave Bella a feeling of doubt. She knew that she couldn’t argue with the man however, especially if his son was sick. They each said their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Bella went over to the couch in the living room and turned on the television moments later trying to busy herself with stupid T.V. shows or something in the like.

Reaching for her pocket made her remember that she had indeed tossed her phone out of the window on the drive home from the meadow. Sighing, she had to figure out some excuse to give to Charlie upon his arrival. Flipping through various channels, Bella held onto her tears and her rage now. Now she knew that it was only a matter of time before Victoria had caught up with her and exacted her revenge.

_____________________________________________

It was true that Jake was sick, but Rachel was indeed with him and the others of the tribe; watching over him as he writhed and rolled from the pain coursing through him. Rachel took her brother's hand in her own and clasped them together. With the arrival of another vampire in the area, there were bound to be more of her kind. Paul and Sam went to go dispatch the leech while she had stayed behind to look after her little brother.

It hurt Rachel to see him like this, but it was their way. Like many others before him, he would undergo the change. A few more moments, and she couldn’t take much more. He was just a kid. Her little Jake was now going to understand the destiny that lay before him. What he would do with it would be his decision and his alone.

Rachel tightened the grip on Jake's hand slightly before letting go completely. Billy watched his daughter walk out the door, not knowing what was going through her head. The other's in the pack would know, but for now, they gave Rachel the space she needed to process everything.

Pacing on her front porch, she watched Paul and Sam breach the trees that surrounded the La Push territory. Smirks on their faces, it looked like they were victorious in their fight with the vampire. Sam walked up to the house and placed a hand on Rachel's shoulder before walking through the door where their new pack member would be waiting.

Her bronze ears perked up to hear another sound on the wind. It was a set of footsteps. They seemed a tad apprehensive to cross the line. Then she felt the pull of the imprint bond in her chest. Was Kate finally back? Heaving a sigh of relief, Rachel jogged to the perimeter of their land. That’s when the golden eyes once again looked back at her. Once they seemed confused and unsure of their bond, but now confidence oozed from her imprints very being.

Rachel took several more steps into the woods ever closer to her anchor. Kate held out a stone cold hand all but begging for her to take it. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as the blood began to rush to her face. The blush discolored her cheeks and it brought a smile to Kate's mouth. It was a full smile that showed smooth teeth. It was a smile that Rachel swore to keep on that vampires face forever.

The two girls stood there for many moments before Kate decided to speak.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

For a second, Rachel didn’t really trust her own voice. She cleared her throat once and breathed in through her nose and out of her mouth. Smiling as she answered, Rachel could feel everything coming together.

"Of course I will."  
_____________________________________________

The details of Kate and Rachel's date were smoothed out, and the following Friday the Quileute girl waited at the treaty line. She was dressed in dark tight jeans and a nice buttoned down t-shirt that showed off her muscles.

Rachel told her father and the rest of the group that she was going to patrol over by Seattle and the rest of the state for Victoria to see if she had any plans to return. At first, Sam, Billy, Paul, and another elder; Harry Clearwater, looked a little unsure of her excuse for leaving. Jake, who had recovered from the initial side effects of the change looked excited and actually wanted to join his sister in her pursuit. She just laughed and shook her head. Telling him to stay with Sam and the others so that they could show him the ropes. The others would train him well and hopefully, by the time she returned from her date, Jacob would be brought up to speed on things. He looked like the pure definition of a puppy dog. So excited to come and go as he pleased, but once chastised, he deflated and looked quite sad.

Kate walked through the bushes and trees seconds later and it was everything Rachel could do not to take the vampire now. Claiming her as her imprint forever and always. The vampire had her hair tied in a messy bun behind her head, no doubt to keep it from flailing around in her perfect copper eyes. No makeup dared to cover such smooth porcelain skin, it honestly would've taken away from her classic beauty.

Similar attire hung itself nicely on Kate's body. The blouse slightly wrinkled from her run over to the treaty line. She put her hand out in front of her again, with her palm up to the sky. Rachel timidly placed hers in Kate's hold and when warm skin met cold, Kate whipped the Quileute onto her back and ran with her over to where the red BMW convertible was waiting. There was no doubt in Kate's mind that Rosalie would be furious with her should any harm come to her baby, but there was no way that she would put even a scratch on the cherry red paint.

As the wind whipped around them, Rachel leaned down next to Kate's ear and whispered.

"You know you don’t need to carry me, right?"

The vegetarian vampire forgot how to breathe for a moment, hearing her mate's husky voice in her ear. Smooth as velvet it was and it made her hungry for more. Now was not the time though. She needed to learn to resist her urges. She chuckled at the girls question and answered.

"What kind of gentle-woman would I be if I didn’t bring my date to her waiting carriage?"

The two of them both shared a hearty laugh before noticing the convertible vehicle in the distance.

Kate released her hold on Rachel's thighs and the native dropped onto the ground. The heels of her boots crunching onto the gravel below. Kate walked over to the passenger side door and opened it for her date. Rachel tucked a strand of short hair behind her ear and walked over to the bucket seat that was waiting for her. In a flash, the blonde vampire was in the driver seat and starting the car.

While backing up out of the parking space, she asked.

"If you could go anywhere, where would it be?"

She asked with a light heart, but it was such a loaded question for Rachel. She didn’t know how to answer it with absolute honesty, because that's what her imprint deserved. However she didn’t want to scare Kate off with her sob stories.

Chancing a peek beside her, Kate saw the stern thinking look on Rachel's face. Reaching over to grasp her hand, she kissed the knuckles unexpectedly.

"You can tell me anything."

The feeling of Kate's soft plush lips on her hot skin was enough to drive her mad. With such a sincere look in those golden eyes it was hard to deny such a request. So Rachel nodded and asked if the canvas top could be put up. Kate did as she was asked and when the movement was complete and the wind no longer whipping in her ears, Rachel took a deep breath and began to tell her everything.

_If Rachel Black could go anywhere, it would be back in time. When she and her younger twin Rebecca were children, they were so close. They did everything together, finished each others sentences, made up languages that no one but them could understand. Then Bella had come along. It was like the three of them were inseparable. Jake was their fourth musketeer though and when he was born, everything seemed right._

_When Bella had moved away with her mom, it was like a piece of Rachel went with her. She thought about her old friend all of the time, especially when she would come down for visits during the summer. They would play all sorts of games together. Rachel, Rebecca, and Bella would tease Jacob for being the youngest of all of them, but he knew that it wasn’t malicious. Jake developed a crush on the young Swan pretty early. It was when Bella didn’t come around anymore that things just started to go downhill. Rachel could deal with her not living in Forks anymore, as long as she visited; but the visits stopped when they got older. Such is life. Rachel had explained that a certain depression washed over her then. Rebecca felt it too. Since they were twins, they felt everything._

_Her mother Sarah's death however just made things worse. Billy had been paralyzed from the waist down and Jake was still young at the time. The girls tried to comfort them as much as they could, trying to keep the smiles from fading. It was a good dream, but reality was much different. Rachel and Rebecca both made a decision that after high school, they would leave Forks and start fresh. For a time, Rachel lived her dream. A new school away from the reservation, a new life. Rebecca married a nice guy and moved to Hawaii. Of course Rachel was happy for her twin, but it was just another thing that didn’t stick around._

_Being the first girl to ever shift in the history of her people was a huge step. Whether it was the right direction or the wrong one would sort itself out in time. Then Bella had finally returned to Forks. Life had a funny way of bringing people together._

Kate took in her mate's voice. The tempo, the volume, when she got sad, and when the sarcastic nature showed itself. It was like learning everything about the world all over again, only this time, she was happy to listen and to learn. Their fingers still intertwined, neither of them felt like letting go. Not until they reached their destination.

It took a little longer than Rachel expected but it just so happened that the two were headed in the direction of Washington's major city. Seattle was as busy as you could get tonight. With the nightclub people and the bar hoppers and the foodies, it was enough to make any one want some alone time with their significant other. As Kate drove through the crowded city streets, there was one place that seemed very comfortable and not too busy at all. The bowling alley. Rachel looked at the marquee and giggled.

Walking into the place, Kate and Rachel looked around to see that there wasn’t a lot of people there. They could be left alone with not many prying eyes. Kate kissed her cheek and asked what size shoe she wore before going to the counter to order shoes and pay for the two of them to play. It was an innocent peck on the cheek, but it was enough to get Rachel's fire going for more. She stuttered getting out her shoes size and looked at the person at the register with a glint of anger in her chocolate eyes. It seemed that not only Rachel had their eyes on the beautiful blonde.

Once turned away from the counter, Kate gave her mate the bowling shoes and wrapped her arm around her midsection. They walked together and Rachel could feel herself positively radiating with desire. The mate/imprint bond made itself known to each of the girls that night and as they bowled together, it was hard to stay away from one another.

They went into the bar attached to the alleyway to get Rachel some bar food. Her stomach was famished even though she ate a rather large meal before coming here. The tiny corn-dogs, curly fries, and mozzarella sticks came out in no time. The shifter salivated before taking the first tentative bit of the fried goodness. For a moment Rachel felt her face flush with embarrassment. Her Kate was, a vampire, not being able to eat a single bite, while she was scarfing down three things of fatty fried foods. If it wasn’t for her metabolism, she surely would've gained at least five pounds tonight.

Kate watched Rachel eat with rapt attention. It was fascinating to watch a human (or in this case a shifter) eat food. She hadn't been human in such a long time that she forgot the taste of food. Rachel caught her golden eyes staring at her. Stopping to swallow her bite, the Quileute girl blushed a bright crimson.

"Sorry. My metabolism is through the roof."

"There's no need to apologize. I just haven't been human in many, many years. I've forgotten what food even tastes like."

This got the two talking quietly about how old Kate really was. Since Rachel talked about her past and the like, it seemed it was now Kate's turn. Her mate held onto every word like it was a treasure. She could see the way Rachel's chocolate eyes swirled with fascination and by the end of the night as a whole, it was like the two girls had known each other for their entire lives.

The girls left the bowling alley after their two games were up. It was a fun night with lots of laughs, talking, and getting to know one another. Rachel and Kate both smiled as they walked out to the car and drove back to the tiny town, back to reality.

On the ride home, Rachel asked.

"Are you going to tell Bella you're back?"

The vampire thought about it for a long while, really making sure that she had the right answer.

"I don’t know. I feel like I should. All of our phones were turned off when my family was taken into custody. Our emails were deactivated too. It’s the Volturi way of telling us that we fucked up big time."

She paused.

"But I want some time with you; alone time. To get to know you better of course. Without any distractions."

Kate felt bad for calling her friend such a word, but it was the truth. There was no way that she and Rachel could form their relationship properly if there were things keeping them from doing so. There was no sign of Victoria in the area after Riley was killed and so Kate made an executive decision.

Rachel felt slightly glad for Kate's answer and held onto the cold hand that rested on the center console. The imprint bond really didn’t want her to share her vampire with anyone; not even Bella. The rest of the ride home was spent in blissful ignorance.  
__________________________________________________________________

When Rachel returned to the reservation, there were many at her house. Jake and Billy, Paul and Sam, Quil and Embry, even some of the elders were there. Her little brother was sporting a new hair cut and a tribal tattoo on his shoulder. It was given to the shifters when they came of age, or when they underwent the change. Whatever would come first.

All of the men there looked quite cross with her. Not knowing why was the worst of it. She knew that she didn’t tell anyone about her date this evening, so what could be the problem. As if reading her mind, Paul Lahote came forward and claimed.

"You were out with her weren't you?"

Rachel's eyes widened at the accusation but remained silent. There was something amiss here and she needed to know what.

Harry Clearwater stood up with the end of his cane tapping the wooden floor. He walked a large circle around Rachel and looked her up and down. As if she was tainted by something or another, he sneered at the sight of her. The others in the room, the ones with the heightened sense of smell all covered their noses and held their breath. Rachel knew that they could smell her imprint upon her. While it was appealing to the elder Black child, that was not the case with the rest of her tribe.

"We have indulged this pairing because the leech was not present."

The hair on the back of her neck stood up at the name Harry had used for her vampire. She began to tremble in anger, but nothing else came.

"You are the first Black woman to shift ever in the history of our people. You have an obligation to the Quileute and to the humans of Forks; not to go parading around with some vampire whore."

Rachel visibly and audibly growled at the tribe Elder and said.

"You forget your place Harry."

Her eyes began to turn their bright yellow in her anger.

"No child, it is you that forgets your place."

Tapping his cane on the floor of the cabin, Harry straightens his stance and goes back to his original position between Paul and Sam. The others were behind the old man obviously threatened by Rachel's behavior. Jake however stood with his father not knowing what to do or how to react. Billy placed a comforting arm on his son.

"From now on, you will partner up while on patrol. We will keep watch over you while you are here on the reservation. The Quileute people will not have this stain upon our legacy."

With that, Harry Clearwater and the shifters that didn’t live with the Black's all left the home. As the door shut closed, Rachel didn’t feel anger; only sadness and shame. How could she be so controlled by the people here? How could they tell her what to do when she was the grand-daughter of their great chief? For all intents and purposes, she was meant to be the Alpha of their pack. Rachel dropped to her knees and cried out.

Even though she was the oldest in the Black family, she was still a woman. One who could be looked down upon by the men of their tribe. Used not only for cooking and cleaning, but for breeding. It was such and old fashioned view of the world, but it was widely known among the others in their village. Rachel could feel the rolling wheels of her fathers wheelchair on the floor. Jake went to his sisters side and hugged her. Even though he was obligated to follow Sam, he still felt bad for Rachel. She was there for him during the initial process of his transformation and afterwards. It was hard seeing her like this.

Jacob didn’t know much about the imprinting process, but did know that Rachel's heart would break after this. Without seeing her reason for being, it was sure to lead to tragedy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Riley is Outta here! Went by the way of Laurent's original death in the saga. On a side note, Harry's an asshole. Originally I was going to kill him off in this chapter, but I felt it was too early for Leah and Seth to shift yet. Since Jake did in this chapter I kinda want to wait a bit. The bowling date is reminiscent to my first date with my wife. Minus the three baskets of fried food that was consumed in this chapter. And as far as the Italicized font goes, I wanted to portray Rachel talking about her past without actually using dialogue or a first person POV so I hope you guys caught that.


	11. Chapter 11

Bella tried to contact her friends on the reservation countless times; none of those times were actually successful. It seemed as if both Rachel and Jake were ghosting her. The teen wondered briefly if the older Black girl was angry with her for shooting down Jacob's advances. A couple of days after Bella told her dad that she 'dropped her phone in the lake nearby' Charlie bought her a new and updated one. It was gonna cost him on the phone bill though. Thankfully all of the numbers were saved on 'the cloud' so she didn’t need to reinput them into her new device.

The first couple times she tried to contact Rachel, Billy had answered the phone. It was the same when she called Jake. The father had answered for them and told Bella that each of his kids were sick with either the flu or mono or a stomach ache due to food poisoning. Then, one miraculous day, Bella actually got a hold of her best friend. Rachel had answered the phone, but she didn’t sound like herself. Her once vibrant and boisterous voice seemed sad and tired; drained of everything that made Rachel…well Rachel.

"Rach! Thank God I finally got a hold of you." Bella had started the conversation.

The Black Quileute almost immediately shot her down though.

"Listen Bella, I'm not exactly in the mood to talk right now."

The teenager was confused and slightly hurt by the tone in her old friends voice, but she let the subject drop and said her goodbyes before hanging up the phone. It was the same reaction with Jacob a few days later. Bella got angry and confused, wondering what could possibly be wrong with them.

Not taking no for an answer anymore, Bella got in her truck and went down to La Push to see what was going on. On the way to Billy's house, it began to rain. Of course it did. Turning her windshield wipers, Bella scooted up to the front of her seat to see through the sheet of water coming down. It wasn’t long after that she finally arrived at Jake's. Billy was rolling into the house up the wheelchair ramp and the boy was helping his dad with some groceries.

"Jake!" Bella yelled as she ran up to the boy.

Hearing her voice the copper skinned boy turned his head towards his father, as if getting permission to talk to his friend. Billy nodded his head once but told him to make it quick. The man grasped the handle of the plastic grocery bags and went inside the house. Jacob walked back down the wooden ramp and went over to the teenager.

"What do you need Bella?"

She was taken aback by the tone of Jake's voice just then. It was so emotionless; kind of short, and downright mean. The kids were getting soaked in the rain that kept pouring down. Bella's hair began to stick to the sides of her face and she finally took in the boy's appearance. He looked like a punk with his newly short cropped hair and his black tank top and cargo shorts. What happened to make him act so cold towards her? She wanted to go inside and see if Rachel was willing to talk to her again. Not hearing from her best friend was awful. First the Cullen's disappeared, and then Rachel and Jake start acting so strangely.

Looking around the place for any sign of the other Black child, Bella caught her target walking toward the edge of the forest with one of the older boys. She had a feeling it was either Sam or Paul that was escorting her there but she couldn’t be sure. As if feeling the turquoise eyes upon her, Rachel turned her head so that she saw Bella gazing at her with hurt and confusion upon her face.

The older girl felt really bad for doing this to Bella. First she had lost the Cullen's to some unfortunate event, and now Rachel was obligated to stay with the rest of the pack and not leave the reservation. She was instructed to by not only the Elders but by Sam as well. Rachel couldn’t disobey his orders, no matter how bad she wanted to. Sam and Rachel ran into the trees moments later, leaving Bella with more questions than answers.

"Listen Bella. Just go home. There's not a lot for you here any more." The rain pelted down on her and Jake. The now short hair on his head was wilting from the wetness and the look in his brown eyes was cold and emotionless.

He went inside soon after he said this leaving Bella by herself in the rain. Her green eyes following the boy inside not able to grasp what sort of madness had befallen the tribe.

Finding Leah and Seth by the shed where she and the others had hung out with, she went over to them and asked.

"Guys, what the heck is going on?" Both of them looked to each other, as if searching for an answer to give their friend in her time of need.

"I don’t know Bella." Leah spoke up.

"Rachel and Jake both joined up with Sam's gang." She explained to the best of her ability.

They were in the dark also about their defacto leaders' disappearance from their little group. It was strange. Jake started to feel some immense pain in his stomach and in some of his limbs. Billy and Sam came by the shed and carried him back to their cabin. Both of them wanted to follow, worried about their friends condition, but were barred from entering by Quil and Embry. They yelled at the pair of boys and tried to go into the house, but when Paul came around, his intimidating presence made their attempts falter. So they walked off and returned home to their mother.

For days Leah and Seth hung out by themselves, not seeing Jake or Rachel for days at a time; and when they did see them, it was for mere seconds.

Leah pushed a hand through her unruly hair and shook her head, sighing at the confusion present in their minds. She felt bad for Bella and offered to hang out with her another day when it wasn’t raining like cats and dogs. For now it was the best answer that Bella could get and she walked back to her truck in silence. Hopefully the more she made time for Leah and Seth, the more she could find out about what was going on here.

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The following weekend, Charlie invited Bella to go with him over to the reservation while he went fishing with Billy. Jumping at the chance, the two of them hopped in her father's off duty vehicle and drove over to La Push. Charlie went over to the Black's cabin and Bella watched him go before going to find Leah and Seth.

They were with their mother Sue over at Emily's house. In hushed conversation, the scared girl and the older Clearwater woman went into another room away from prying ears and eyes. Emily smiled in Bella's direction before leaving the room with Sue.

Leah and her little brother went over to Bella and the three walked down to the beach. The water was choppy and the waves crashed upon the shore. It was low tide and the friends walked over the sand. Their shoes putting impressions in the ground, Bella looked up to see a large cliff with people jumping off of it. She could hear the whoops and hollers from the divers above them and turned to Leah.

"What are they doing?"

The girl then turned her attention to where Bella was looking.

Shaking her head at the sight before her she explained.

"That's where Sam's gang goes to let loose. Some of the other kids think they go up there to do drugs."

Bella's eyes widened at the thought of her best friend and her little brother doing stuff like that.

"Have you confronted the Elders about it?"

Seth nodded as he caught up to the pair, having previously taken the time to throw a rock into the ocean.

"Yeah! We've told them all about it, especially our dad. The only thing he said was to leave them alone and let them sort out things themselves."

Finding a long stick on the sandy ground, the boy ran to it and pumped his fist in excitement. Bella laughed at his childlike antics and remembered the times that Rachel and Rebecca would toss her a stick and they would pretend to be knights in a far away land. Their imaginations filled with castles and dragons, they would play to their hearts content. Bella remembered sleeping like a baby those nights after she wore herself out.

She found a stick on the ground not far from where her foot fell on the ground. Thinking about her old friends and the memories they shared together, Bella thought about making new ones with the brother and sister pair that now stood with her. The grass not far from where they were walking held sticks of all shapes and sizes. Smiling, Bella and the other two went over to the area and found their 'weapons of choice' before clashing the wooden limbs together.

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Rachel looked down at the beach below her when she heard the childlike laughter of the other teens. She smiled down at the small group and remembered the times that she had with her sister and Bella. It was hard to let go of; but that was her cross to bear now. She went over to a large tree back away from the edge of the cliff the boys stood. Climbing the base with ease, she sat in the large branches, not at all interested in the cliff diving event the others with her were having. Jake followed Paul and for a second she was worried about her little brother. When he broke the surface and yelled out a whoop of excitement, her fears were unfounded.

She felt the imprint bond in her chest and the pull was definitely close by. Rachel hadn't seen Kate in weeks following their first date. She wanted to contact the girl and tell her what was going on. How the others in her pack and even the elders of her tribe had constricted her movements. The Denali vampire would surely be furious at the news and Rachel smiled at the thought of Kate's frustrated face. The image of the pout that would surely follow brought an ache to her chest.

There had to be some way that she could sneak out without the others knowing her movements. She just wanted to talk to the blonde. Rachel just wanted to tell her what was going on. Sam looked over his shoulder at her, trying to figure out what was going through her head. A few moments after Jake had left the water, Sam ran to the edge of the rocky cliff and jumped high into the air. The wind rushed around his ears as he dove into the choppy water beneath him.

Rachel had concluded that she would go tonight. Hopefully Kate would be close enough to feel the bond they shared and come to meet her. Hopefully she could forgive her for her absence and not being able to contact her.

Returning her attention to the beach where her friends played together, a giggle erupted as the three had built a mound of sand into the crude shape of a castle. So many memories came to the surface of her mind. It eased her and calmed her of the chaotic emotions swirling through her.

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That night, Rachel Black went towards the edge of the treaty line. It wasn’t her turn to patrol so she feigned sleep to get out of the house unnoticed. Rachel took careful steps through the forest as to not be caught by one of her pack mates. Going out the window of her bedroom seemed easy enough, especially when Embry and Quil had actually fallen asleep on guard duty. Now it was just not getting caught in transit that Rachel had to worry about.

She felt the pull of her imprint not far from her position and sighed in relief. Her posture relaxed as she walked up to the blonde that stood against a tree. Kate's golden eyes were closed as she listened to the footsteps walk closer and closer. The cracking of twigs and leaves brought her attention to the beating heart in her mate's chest. A pleasant staccato that she tapped her fingers to.

Opening her eyes, Kate Denali looked into the chocolate eyes of the one that she had longed for. Walking up to Rachel, she was confused when the other girl took a step away from her.

"What's wrong?" Kate asked her.

"I can't stay long; I just wanted to let you know that I can't exactly do this right now." Rachel's voice shook as she spoke.

Her heart broke in her chest as she explained the situation to her imprint. She was enraged with the fact that she couldn’t touch Kate or even be close to her. Rachel's nose picked up the delicious scent of the vampire before her and wanted nothing more than to run up to her and kiss her senseless.

Kate heaved calming breaths as she listened to her mate explain why they couldn’t see each other at the moment. In fact she didn’t know how long they would be apart for. Every day the blonde had gone to the treaty line, hoping for some sign from her mate. Begging to feel the pull in her chest leading her to where she wanted to be. For days nothing came. That didn’t mean that she gave up though. Kate would've waited forever for Rachel. For hundreds of years she had went without a mate, what was another hundred more.

A chilled pale hand reached out to touch Rachel's face, but only found air.

Sadness illuminated the atmosphere. None of them wanted to leave the sight of the other. Rachel's body begged her to move forward, just to feel the whisper of the vampires touch upon her again.

Suddenly, out in the distance, the howls of wolves, growling and barking all echo within the trees. Rachel takes one last look into Kate's eyes before telling her to leave. The girl then uses her superior speed to race back to her bedroom. Only inches away from her open window, a large mass tackles her midsection.

A large black wolf walks calmly to Rachel's prone form. She doesn’t have the strength to get up. Heaving breaths puff out through her mouth as a voice enters her mind.

"We told you to stay away from her. Now I won't give you any choice but to obey." 

Rachel hears the huffing of the one that tackled her to the ground. His brown face and long pink tongue hanging from his muzzle. She feels the Alpha command in her mind, compelling her to keep away from Kate. Her inner self screamed and cried out in rebellion, but there was nothing she could do. Jake, her kid brother stood in his natural form beside Sam and looked down at her shamefully. Shaking his head, the boy walked into the house and went to bed.

Rolling on the ground, Rachel felt the loss of her dignity then. To be held under the command of an alpha was no small gesture. She knew the man would do something like that had she been caught with her imprint again. It was no surprise to her. The wet, dewy grass beneath her covered her back. The spaghetti strap camisole did almost nothing to protect her from the cold chill of it. She felt as if a piece of her was now taken from her. Now that she was under the command of her alpha, it was as if she was even more of a prisoner on her own reservation, and there was nothing she could do about it.

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The next time Bella sees Rachel is when she is shopping at the grocery store. She is meaning to get some quality ingredients for the meal she is making tonight and sees her best friend in an aisle with her brother and her father. Bella weaves herself around another corner to hide from the small group but when she saw Rachel, it looked like there was nothing to her. She looked lifeless, emotionless. What was going on at that reservation? Was there some actual abuse going on there? She had to find out.

There was no way that the Black family would treat one of their own so carelessly. They wouldn’t let her waste away to nothing. There had to be something that she could do. She had to talk some sense into Jake or something like that. Bella takes in a deep breath to calm her nerves before going into the aisle where the Black trio now stood.

"Hey guys." She said in greeting.

Jake nodded his head but she got a full hello back from Billy.

"Jake, can I talk to you for a second?"

Rachel didn’t have the strength, mental or physical, to turn her head to see Bella beside them. It was true that in the past couple of days, since the Alpha command was given to her, that she began to stop eating. Her will to live had gotten to her since there was no way she could see the object of her affection anymore. Kate was always at the forefront of her mind. There would always be an emptiness that haunted her; that taunted her waking and sleeping thoughts. Her inner self began to tell her things. Horrible and nasty things. Rachel stopped eating; stopped feeling. Her posture began to weaken, her face and body grew weak and frail.

She was in such a state of depression that no one could pull her out of it.

Seeing Bella walk off with her brother, she almost begged for that kind of freedom again. Rachel longed for her free will once more and a lone tear went down her cheek.

In the produce department, Bella gets in Jacob's face trying to figure out what was going on. The question of abuse rang through his ears and he got angry. She touched his arm and wanted to get to the bottom of everything that was happening with Rachel.

Bella's hand on his arm let's Jacob calm down and settle his anger back down into him. Looking at her, he still cares about his longtime friend, but there were so many things keeping him from hanging out with her. The family obligation being one of them, Sam being another, and his underlying feelings for her being the most prominent of them all. Sometimes he wished that he could wish his crush on her away; wipe it away from his mind and heart.

Jake's stern brown eyes softened showing Bella that he wasn’t all grumbles and growls. She smiled lightly at the small movement in his face and body. Jacob relaxed at the feeling of Bella's warm hand on his arm. He wanted to tell her everything, but he knew that his secret was not only his alone.

"Bella, I want to tell you. Trust me, I do, but I can't." His brown eyes hoped that she wouldn’t press the issue any further.

Nodding, she deflated. Worrying about Rachel and about Jacob were apparently two different issues. There was something else wrong with her best friend; something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. Bella promised herself, that sooner or later she would know all of the secrets that plagued her small town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Bella find out the truth about what's been going on with Rachel and Jacob?


	12. Chapter 12

Across the pond over at the Volturi compound, Esme paced around the throne room. She was waiting for her husband and daughter to be released. Try as she might to convince the Lord to speak with her, Aro and the other's wouldn’t be swayed with their decision to hold Alice and Carlisle. She talked with Sulpicia for a brief moment before Aro called her to him. The royal looked apologetic at the mother figure and went to see what her mate wanted.

Esme requested that she visit Alice for just a brief moment. Just to tell her that everything was going to be fine. For months her child sat in a dark, dank cell waiting for God knows what to happen. In her short visits, Esme learned that Alice hadn't seen much of the future. The brother's were constantly either changing their minds or not deciding anything at all.

Alice looked frail and depressed with not seeing anyone in the past few months. Her violin sitting on the cot behind her was the only thing helping her keep her sanity. The pixie watched her mother walk down the long hallway down to her cell, her home for the last three months. She smiled widely at seeing the familiar face. Reaching out, the two vampires grasped hands, this being the only touch that they could afford at the moment.

"I could really use a mom hug right now." Alice dry sobbed.

Tears went to Esme's eyes seeing her daughter in such a state. It was true that vampires didn’t sweat or stink in any fashion, but it looked like her little sprite needed a shower just to get all of the dirt and grime off of her. Looking around the area, Esme could understand. The caramel haired woman weaved her free arm through the bars and waved Alice over to her. The two got closer and embraced as well as they were able.

It was true that Aro called an audience with Alice a couple of weeks after she and the other Cullen's had arrived, but he had been called away due to sightings of some of the Romanian coven in the area. They had killed a human not far from their compound; ripped them to shreds to just get a taste of the copper blood inside. With the heinous murder scene the top priority for the royal, Alice had been escorted back to her cell. She hadn't heard a word from Aro since and she was ready to get out of this prison.

"I really need to get out of here."

"I know darling. We'll get you and your father out soon. I promise." Esme knew that she had to go and visit her husband.

A few moments more the two vampires separated from their awkward hug.

"I asked Kate to go and look out for Bella, but I haven't seen much of her future either." Alice said in a worried voice.

Her mother placed a comforting hand on her cheek and said.

"You'll just have to trust her, Alice. Kate just needs time."

Each said their goodbyes and Esme went to go and visit Carlisle before the day was done. Being at the villa without her mate and husband was dreadful. They had made so many memories together in that house. It was the first place they had made love as vampires. The place where they had taken each one of their children when they were introduced to the royal coven. Esme remembered decorating the large house in order to make it feel more like home. Granted she didn’t build it from the ground up, but there was still a lot of charm in its bones when she first saw it.

Going over to the other hall, not far from Alice's, she saw the blonde man in meditation. His eyes were closed, gathering his thoughts and emotions throughout this stressful time. It was true that the man had very many books that he had requested in his cell with him, but Esme imagined that Carlisle had read them all a dozen times over.

Looking at the neat stack of books on the next to her husband, she chuckled only slightly. Even in this time Carlisle was still meticulous in his cleanliness and organization. The man's hair was out of place due to the loss of gel, but other than that, he was still the most handsome man in the room.

Hearing his wife's laugh, Carlisle broke his meditation and opened his eyes. Almost bolting off of the thin bed underneath him, he walked over to the metal bars separating him from his mate.

"My Esme." He breathed out taking her hand in his own.

Esme looked at him like it was the first time. The blonde was so defined and handsome, smooth and succulent. She touched the side of his face from his cheek bone down to the tip of his chin. Esme wanted to hold him, to kiss him, to love him again the way only she could. She wanted to be his again. It was this damned cage that wouldn’t let that be possible.

"There has to be a way to get you out of here."

She begged and pleaded for Carlisle and Alice to be released on house arrest. Aro would have nothing to do with that unfortunately. What the Lord said, was law in this facility.

"Let's not talk about that right now, love. How's Alice?" Carlisle changed the subject.

Esme could not convey the worry that she felt for her daughter. Even though they were not related by blood, she took care of those children like they were her own. She loved each and everyone of them equally. Alice held a certain place in her heart however. A large part of her wanted to march down and use her mom voice in requesting for an audience; to make Aro see into her thoughts and memories, but Carlisle warned her time and time again not to anger him or his brothers.

She told her husband everything that Alice had told her when she visited her just moments ago. He looked rather concerned for the pixie's wellbeing and held tightly onto Esme's hand for comfort.

"You're right in telling her to trust in the family." Carlisle said to her before leaning in closer.

There was no space between the two save for the metal bars of his gilded cage.

"I miss you." Esme all but cried out.

Desperate to feel his loving touch once more, she weaved her hand around to the back of his neck and pulled him forward for a kiss. It wasn’t the most romantic place to do so, but just the touch of Carlisle's lips upon hers once again was enough to satisfy her for now. It was a chaste kiss that ended too soon for Esme's liking, but hopefully it wouldn’t be long before she could have her husband all to herself again.

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In Forks, Kate kept vigilant watch over the border to Cullen/Denali land. No vampire was going to slip by her any time soon. When she was able, she looked in on Bella, never really staying too long. She was on a mission to get her own mate back. Rachel hadn't been seen for days. Kate went over to the treaty line countless times in such a time, but the object of her affections never showed. Her heart wept for Rachel to come near her again.

She was so enraged by the others in the tribe for keeping them apart. Bastards, every single one of them were bastards. Feeling the electric current in her finger tips, she curled her fists and punched a large tree. Watching the bark crack and break away from the trunk and branches above gave the blonde a sense of accomplishment and pride. The static electricity wound its way all over the tree, reaching to the very top of it.

What was the Quileute's freaking problem? Were they so stuck in their backwater ways that they couldn’t let their true heir find love in her own way? Taking her frustration out on the foliage in the area wasn’t the best idea, so she went to hunt something. Feeling the burning sensation of hunger overwhelming her, Kate blurs away from the Denali home to hunt for deer or mountain lion or bear that might be in the area.

The run made her feel slightly relaxed but it wasn’t until she came across a large black bear that eased all of the tension in her body. Kate didn’t need much blood to sate her hunger. Since she was hundreds of years old, she learned how to control her feeding. So after a slight rough and tumble match with the furry creature, she plunged her fangs into its hide and fed slightly on the animal.

Upon the loss of blood, the bear had fallen asleep and rested in the clearing where it had met the blonde. Kate took this time to really marvel the creatures beauty and tenacity. Animals weren't weak prey that vampires fed on. They were a formidable source of food, and the vegetarians that took their blood, paid respects upon the kill, or let the animal rest where they laid. Kate rubbed the fur on the bear's head and relaxed upon the bark of a tree.

Closing her eyes, she could feel her body relaxing, almost as if she had the ability to fall asleep. There were no dreams that crossed her vision; no drowned snoring coming from her lips. Just a sense of peace and calm that she hadn't felt in months. Even when she returned to her homeland, she didn’t relax; didn’t feel safe enough to let her guard down. Here in the forest however, Kate truly felt at home. Among the animals, birds, trees and other foliage, it felt right.

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Bella had enough waiting. She was sick of being in the dark; sick of the lies and the secrets. Marching to her red truck, she angrily opened the driver side door and got in. Driving down to the reservation, her knuckles were white with how hard she gripped the steering wheel. Bella had swore to herself that she would talk to Billy. Talk to the man that seemed to have all of the answers. Jake was evasive, Rachel seemed a shadow of herself, Leah and Seth didn’t seem to have any idea about the issues on La Push. Both teens were just in the dark as she was.

As she drove, Bella heard something in her ear; almost like a buzzing sound but as the second ticked by, the sound became more musical, and the buzzing turned into words.

"Bella, don’t." She turned in her driver seat to look around the cab of her truck.

It was Alice's voice. She was sure of it. But where was she? Why was she calling out to her like this?

"I have to." Bella replied to the voice.

"It's too dangerous with them!" Alice cried out again. It was like she was here, right next to her in the passenger seat. That was the last Bella heard from her vampire as she neared the reservation.

Green eyes filled with determination as she reached her destination. Billy Black's house not far in the distance. Turning off the truck, she saw Quil and Jacob walking into the forest by Jake's house with only shorts on. No shoes to protect their feet from sharp sticks or any litter debris anyone could've thrown on the ground. No shirts to protect them from the cold chill of the late November weather. The frost on the grass beneath her feet was enough for her to now where a bulky snow jacket and jeans.

After a few moments of walking, Bella lifted her covered fist to knock on the door. She could hear the wheels of Billy's chair in the house coming to answer. Just as he opened the door however, Bella looked over to the tree line; hearing some deep laughter in the distance. It was Paul Lahote and Sam Uley. So smug and arrogant they were, strutting their stuff, taking Bella's friends from her like she didn’t matter. Embry was also with them, but didn’t seem to be in the same jovial mood as the other two.

Billy saw the look of rage on the girls face and as she walked away, he went to the couch where Rachel laid. Her skin seemed to take a duller shade of copper and there were deep bags under her eyes from lack of sleep. Being apart from Kate had taken a toll on her, that was for certain. Billy knew his daughter was closer to his best friend's kid and begged her to get up. When he said that Bella might be in danger, Rachel seemed to find the strength to leave the cushions.

Bella marched up to the pair and when Paul saw her face he seemed to laugh in it. Going up to the leader of the group, Sam she asked.

"What did you do?" She held up her hands to shove the taller boy against the chest but strong calloused hands stopped her.

"What did you do to them?" Bella asked again wrenching her hands from his clammy hot touch.

"Bella calm down, please." Embry pleaded with her but she wasn’t in the right mindset to exchange words.

Bella could see Paul and another boy about to lunge in front of her to protect their leader, but Sam just held an arm out to stop them.

"Easy." He said to the two beside him

"They didn’t want this!"

She could feel Paul's breath in her face, his body was close to her and she began to feel threatened.

"What did we do? What did Rachel do? What did she tell you? Did Jake talk?"

His questions were a slew of words that Bella could barely understand.

"Both of you calm down." Sam gritted through his teeth trying to get a hold of the situation. It wasn’t working.

Bella heard the one question about Rachel and her ears caught the sound of her friends name.

"Nothing! Neither of them have told me anything because, Jacob is scared of you and Rachel is too weak to stand up to you. You did something to my friend! What did you do?!"

The boys with Sam began to laugh and that's when she saw red. Her eyes were filled with fire as she clenched her fist and threw it against Paul's chiseled cheek. It wasn’t as hard as Kate's stone skin, but it burned more than she had ever felt on her hand before. Accidentally burning yourself had nothing on this feeling. As the boy flew back, he righted himself quickly and his body began to tremble. It was almost as if he was having a seizure.

"Aha, too late now." Jared, the other boy in the group had mocked her.

"Paul, calm down, NOW!" Sam sternly said to the raging boy who now looked like he was about to maul her.

There was nothing holding Paul back as he shifted from his human form to his wolf one. His skin shredded from his body and his limbs contorted strangely as a brown and grey wolf now walked in front of Bella. The human fell back onto the ground for a moment before getting right back up. The wolf in front of her pulled his lip back and reared his teeth, slowly taking her in as an enemy.

With one last look Bella booked it back to Billy's house where she had assumed Rachel was now. The older teen ran out to the porch and held on to the bannister for support. She was weak from not eating much in the past week. Her body wasn’t up for a fight, but now she had to protect Bella. With all of her strength, she heaved herself over the bannister and ran toward the girl.

"Rachel!" She heard Bella call out.

"Bella!" Rachel pushed her legs faster, made her lungs breath in the air around her.

"Rachel RUN!"

Just as the two were almost in contact with one another, Rachel jumped high into the air and finally shifted into her wolf form. The animal was pleased to be out of her skinned prison, and with a new found sense of freedom and determination, it filled Rachel with the strength she needed to fight her opponent. Her golden eyes roamed over Paul's grey and brown form, while his blue ones scattered around her white one. Rachel Black was the white wolf. Bella almost fainted and fell to the ground once more. She looked at the animal form in front of her and couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Her best friend was a were-wolf? A shifter? The one thing she did know was that she was beautiful.

The snowy fur and the darker one clashed together in a sea of grey. Teeth and growls echoed all around her and as Bella watched them fight, she was worried for her friend. Paul had slashed at her with his large clawed paw, but Rachel was faster and she dodged it before latching on to his neck with her massive teeth. The two bit and clawed at one another before tumbling toward the trees, crashing into a row boat that looked like it was undergoing some repairs. Bella stayed rooted to her spot. She didn’t even hear Sam's voice call out to Embry and Jared.

"Take her back to Emily's place."

Embry looked down at her with an apologetic look in his eyes.

"I guess the wolf is out of the bag." He said solemnly before reaching his hand out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Embry will have more of a role to play in later chapters. Since Bella has now found out about the wolfpack will Rachel be able to see her friend now that she knows about them? Or will Sam have something to say about the fight she had with Paul?


	13. Chapter 13

That night, Bella sat in front of her computer trying to process everything that had happened earlier. Watching her childhood friend shift into this massive wolf in front of her eyes wasn’t something she could just sweep under the rug. She went on the internet to find out more about the Quileute's, their legends, their past, and the chief's that had been in charge for centuries. It seemed that Rachel's and Jake's great grand father Ephraim Black was the chief when the Cullen's had first come to Forks. He was the one that in fact formed the treaty with them as 'The Cold One's'. So if Rachel was the true heir of the wolf pack, why was she taking orders from Sam? It was all very strange and complicated.

Bella then heard a tiny tap on the window to her bedroom. Thinking it might be the wind tossing the almost bare leaf filled branches of the tree outside her house against the paned glass, she shook her head and turned her attention back to the screen. Then she heard the tick sound again. A pause, and another tink. Now intrigued at what could be making that sound, Bella got up from her chair and went over to the window. Opening it with ease, she looked down and saw Rachel Black down below in her yard.

It was dark so Bella couldn’t see much with her very human eyes, but the sound of Rachel's voice seemed to clear some things up.

"Bella! Can I come in?" Her best friend asked.

The teen didn’t have to think twice about her answer and gave the shifter permission to enter her bedroom window. Rachel took a running start and ran up the base of the tree before grabbing a thick high branch and swinging herself through the now open pathway. The landing wasn’t the smoothest in the universe, in fact it was downright awful. Her legs were still wobbly from the events of the day, so she all but crashed into Bella's room with lots of force. Knocking over a lamp wasn’t what she had meant to do, but here we are.

Rachel fell over from the exhaustion, but she was feeling in her. Bella, being the good friend she was, rushed over to see if the wolf-girl was alright. The teen and her friend were kneeling on the ground in front of each other when Bella asked the question. Rachel's mouth curled into a large smile and tears welled in her eyes as she told her that she had never felt better.

Bella stood up first and helped her best friend off of the floor before taking her over to the edge of her bed. The two then sat down and faced one another. Now that she could see Rachel in a better light, she could see that the Black looked infinitely better than the last time she had seen her. What could've happened to cause such a drastic turn-around.

"What happened after Embry and Jared brought me to Emily's?"

Bella had asked. The copper skinned native looked down at her hands for a moment, really trying to figure out the words to say. She wanted to explain everything to Bella. She was her best friend after all. After so many years of being apart, and now with her transformation a complete secret until 'just now', Rachel decided that Bella had the right to know everything that had been happened during the fight with Paul.

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After Rachel's wolf and Paul's wolf crashed through the trees:

Rachel and Paul fought tooth and nail until they reached the shoreline. The white wolf could feel the anger coursing through her. The human friend she had was threatened by another of her pack. Even though wolves generally stuck together. Bella was extremely important to Rachel, and her being attacked or even threatened by another person would feel her wrath.

Snarls echoed throughout the trees. Fur of both white and grey color, flew in every direction. Paul swiped at Rachel's muzzle and caught her right on the nose. It sent the white wolf flying back. The grey one then proceeded to pounce on her and try to grab at her jugular with his teeth. It almost seemed a killing blow, but Rachel had more in her than that. Using the training she had learned from Sam early on in her days as a shifter, she used his size against him. Rachel used her strength and maneuverability to roll the two of them over until she gained the upped hand once more. She now stood above him, and each second filled her with confidence. The wolf smiled and held her packmate to the ground with one paw before swiping at him with another. This hit slashed Paul across the eye. The gouge was deep and the two could smell blood.

For a moment Paul actually felt afraid. In the recent days, Rachel seemed weak and unable to put up a fight against him or anyone else in their pack; but now, all that had changed. All because of one simple human that couldn’t keep her nose out of other people's business.

Rachel curled her pale white fur lip back to show her teeth. They were sharp and glistening with saliva. The shine was so immaculate that Paul could've sworn he saw his own human reflection staring back at him. Just as Rachel was about to knock him out, another voice echoed in their ears.

"STOP!" Sam used the Alpha command against both wolves.

The large black shape that came to the scene was looking down at his pack from atop a sandy mound. The logs that the tribesmen of the reservation used for any sort of building projects surrounded them and Sam jumped from the mound of sand to a neat pile of wood.

Both Rachel and Paul got up from their positions and faced their leader. The former was still disgruntled about the entire fight and wanted to show Paul who was really the boss. With the grey wolf being Sam's Beta, he was still higher up in ranking than Rachel was so this was about to earn her some punishment.

Sam stood his full height on top of the neat pallet of logs. He snarled at the white wolf and called for any others that might be in the area on patrol. A few moments later a reddish-brown wolf and a chocolate colored one come and circle the white and grey ones. None of them really bothered shifting back into their human forms; even though they had their clothes tied to their bulky ankles. Quil and Jake both sat in front of Sam as Rachel and Paul kept timidly circling one another.

"Rachel, you need to stop this animosity with us. We are your pack, we are your family." Sam said trying to get to the girl through her emotional attachments.

"I never wanted ANY of this!" She cried out to the black wolf.

Her howl went over the area. Rachel didn’t want to be defined by her bloodline, by her destiny.

"All Bella wanted to do was talk! Paul is the one that shifted in front of her. I may not be able to leave the reservation, but as long as she is on our land, I will protect her."

She looked over at the grey wolf and snarled.

"I will protect her from any threat. Even if it is my own people."

Sam used this opportunity to jump down from his place on the pallet and in front of Rachel.

"I don’t want to have to keep using the Alpha command on you, or anyone here. I have to because you overstepped your bounds. You were never supposed to shift. It was Jacob who was supposed to be next."

The black wolf nodded his head to the russet wolf behind him. Jacob and Quil looked down at their feet. At first none of them knew that a female could shift into a wolf, but here was the evidence in front of them. Sam was Jake's mentor, his leader, was it wrong to stand behind him now? Rachel was his sister, his protector, his best friend other than Bella. Should he go to her and support her? It was all too much.

At Sam's words, Rachel's fur stood up.

"We were taught from a young age about our prejudice's against vampires. All of our tribe knows that the cold ones are the _enemy_. It's not a matter of who we can pick and choose which are the good one's. You will Stay on the reservation, and you will not bare the imprint bond with that creature!"

"MY IMPRINTING IS NOT A MISTAKE!" Rachel yelled to the group.

It was no surprise when Paul and Sam got in her face at that moment. The Alpha and the Beta were trying to keep some sort of chain of command within the pack. Rachel was bending that chain. Lips curled back trying to assert dominance, but for the first time in a long time, the young Black was standing up for herself.

As Sam was trying to control the situation through his Alpha bond, Rachel continued to fight and struggle against it. The white wolf slowly got up from her position and held her head high. Again the black wolf barked in her face. She flinched only slightly at the command to subdue herself, her white ears folding back against her skull. Pounding her paw into the sandy ground beneath and straightened up again.

"I am the great grand-daughter of Ephraim Black, I am the great grand-daughter of the chief. I wasn’t born to follow you. I will not be under anyone's command any longer. YOU ARE BENEATH ME SAMEUL ULEY, I AM YOUR BETTER IN EVERYWAY!"

Each word that flew into Sam's and the rest of the packs minds made her feel stronger, made her feel greater. Each sentence made her grow in size and she began to tower over Sam and Paul. They began to cower in her presence and the string of the Alpha bond that Sam once held over her finally snapped.

"Know this Sam, if you or yours ever try anything against Bella or Kate, you will answer to me." Rachel's head came down in front of the black wolf and for a moment, he cowered at the sight of her.

"The Cullen's are not our enemy; nor are any golden-eyed vampires. No matter what you or the elders say about them."

The white wolf now circled around the small pack of wolves before howling to the sky. Her strength returned to her, but only slightly. She needed to see Kate, but she needed to talk to Bella too. First Rachel needed food. She ran back to her house and shifted back into her human form before changing into new clothes. The ones she had wore when Bella had arrived tore when she transformed to fight Paul.

For a moment she felt a twinge of regret. She didn’t want to leave her brother behind, but this was a decision that she needed to make. For herself. For now, she felt free, alive. Putting on a tank-top and cargo shorts, Rachel knew she would be a sight for other people in mid November. The cold chill felt nice upon her hot skin. Billy wheeled himself into her doorway and looked at her all confused. Turning to look at her dad, Rachel leaned down and kissed him lightly on the cheek before heading out the door.

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Back at the Swan House:

Bella looked at her friend as she told the story. Giving Rachel all of the attention, she heard every word, every action that she had taken against Sam and the rest of the pack. She remembered seeing Paul and Sam walking in to Emily's kitchen with long looks on their faces. The scared wolf-girl quietly asked him what was wrong, but the tall man just shook his head and told her that they would talk about it later before giving her a loving kiss on her forehead.

So that was why they all looked so disheveled and rather ashamed of themselves. Paul took longer to come into the cabin, but once he sat down and had a muffin that was provided by Emily, he looked at Bella and apologized for what he had almost done. His brown eyes looked sad then. Jake and Quil were nowhere to be found though and Bella now wondered briefly if Jake had went to his sister, begging her not to leave him behind.

Bella held onto Rachel's hand, clasping them together. It was the first contact she'd had with her friend in many days. She sighed in contentment.

"So tell me about this imprinting thing."

Rachel smiled before leaning her head to the side and onto Bella's shoulder.

She explained.

"It's like finding the one person that could provide your center. This one person is your anchor but also your cloud nine. Sometimes imprinting doesn’t necessarily mean a romantic connection, but it does mean that you are unable to live without them. You protect them and provide for them. Quil imprinted on Emily's two year old niece, Claire. We all laughed at him when we found out, but Sam reprimanded us. He will be whatever she needs him to be. If it's a friend, mentor, whatever, Quil will be there."

Taking a deep breath before continuing, Rachel really wondered if it was a good idea to involve Kate in this matter now. The blonde still didn’t tell Bella that she was back in town to watch over her, but now that she was free of the Alpha bond with Sam, it seemed that there was little holding her back. Rachel smiled widely as she thought about her imprint.

"Kate is my very reason for being. I found out last year when the red eyed leeches interrupted your baseball game with the Cullen's."

She explained to Bella about their connection and the date they went on when she had first returned. Bella's green eyes widened at the news. Why did Kate come back and not tell her? When did the blonde return? Was Alice alright? What about the rest of the Cullen's and Denali's, were they safe and unharmed? Bella got up from her spot on the bed and began pacing in front of her desk. She crossed her arms and pondered at what could've been the reasons behind the secrecy.

Rachel saw her best friend briefly freaking out at the new information and got up from her spot as well. Getting in Bella's path didn’t seem to be the best course of action because the teen proceeded to step on her uncovered toes. Then green eyes met brown and they were angry. Bella huffed and kicked Rachel in the shin. At the twinge of pain the shifter bent over and clutched at her leg.

"OW! What was that for?" She said looking up at her friend.

"Why didn’t you tell me that she was back?" Bella asked angrily.

Her brow was furrowed and one line crossed her forehead in a wrinkle. Bella almost looked silly, but Rachel knew better than to laugh at her reaction. With Paul getting the brunt of the teens anger earlier, it seemed unwise to irk her further.

"Listen, Kate and I wanted to get to know each other better without any distractions. So we kept everything a secret until my tribe found out that I was still seeing her. Sam used his alpha command on me to stop and I HAD to obey, even though I didn’t want to. That put a pause on everything. I guess Kate still didn’t tell you she was back."

"Ya think!?" Bella exclaimed before sitting down in her desk chair. She weaved a hand through her long brown hair and thought about the entire situation.

"You're her mate too I'm assuming." It wasn’t a question but rather an observation.

If a vampire was barred from seeing their mate, they became quite testy and tiresome to be around. So Bella had supposed that the blonde was sparing her from such behavior, especially since she and Alice were separated for the time being. Bella remembered the golden eyes of her girlfriend; happy, sad, and angry they were still beautiful. In the first few months since the Cullen's disappearance, she remembered the dark hole she put herself in.

Bella knew that she should be happy for her friends. They should all celebrate their coming together and putting such feuds behind them. This was a huge thing for both vampires and shifters alike. There was nothing in the history books or the web searches that might've indicated even the slightest hint of a Quileute and a Cold One being together.

"I'm sorry for kicking you; but you're still a jerk." Bella stated before relaxing once more in the chair.

"And I'm sorry for not coming to you sooner with everything. I was under strict rule not to say anything. So was Jacob, so don't be too cross with him." Rachel replied giving her own apology.

The two friends sat there in silence for a few minutes before the younger teen tapped her friend on the shoulder. Brown eyes met green again and Bella smiled.

"So you're free now?"

Rachel heaved a sigh of relief at the fact that she was indeed now free. Free from the status quo, free from the obligation of running with the pack, free from the ridiculous orders of the Alpha and his masters. She squinted away the tears and gave a chuckle.

"Yeah. Yeah I guess I am."

Now that her mind was free of the past, Rachel Black could now focus on her future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rachel broke the pack bond with Sam, Paul and the others, much like Jake did in canon. Now understanding that her past can be put behind her, what will become of Jake and the rest of the wolves in Sam's pack? When will Leah and Seth shift? Will Leah's change cause the same reaction in Harry as it did in the OG story?


	14. Chapter 14

A streak of white blurred through the trees as Rachel ran in her wolf form. Spending the night over at the Swan house was the best decision she could've made. After that long and emotional conversation the two girls had, Rachel and Bella talked more about the shifters and what sort of quirks they had. Like the telepathy thing, and the fact that one wolf ran the entire pack, with a Beta of course. It was all such a big thing. Rachel had explained to Bella that night, that she was the first ever female in the tribe to shift into a wolf.

As the white wolf ventured through the forest, her ears perked up at the sound of laughter coming from on her back. She actually asked Bella to come with her this morning, to show her what it was like to run with the wolves. The teen jumped at the chance. When Rachel shifted, the girl noticed that she was farther off of the ground than she had been the day before. She was taller and felt a little bulkier, and when she went back out to the clearing where Bella waited, she found that her friend was looking up at her. Normally, she would've been only slightly taller than your average wolf, but she supposed when she broke ranks and asserted her dominance to the others, it changed more than her mindset.

Rachel laid down onto the forest ground and waited for Bella to gently get on her back. The brunette was scared to grip too tightly on the fur underneath her fingers but as Rachel took off into the trees, Bella shot forward to keep herself from falling and grabbed on to the neck of the wolf. Wrapping her arms around her friends form was difficult but she did her best.

As she got used to the speed and the wind whipping around her, Bella smiled and laughed at the pleasant feeling. It reminded her briefly of the times Alice had carried her through the forest. Her eyes grew sad and she really wanted to talk to the blonde vampire that had come back to watch over her. Bella wondered if she was at the Denali cabin that was next to the Cullen house. She leaned down and whispered into the pointed white ear.

"We need to go and see Kate."

The wolf beneath her huffed in agreement and the two were off to meet with the blonde. Bella lead the way because Rachel had never been on Cullen land, but she could also tell which direction the house was in thanks to the imprint bond. Being able to once again bask in the feeling of the connection, brought a certain joy to the Quileute. The two girls traveled on until they reached the front door of the Cullen household.

It all came crashing back to Bella as she got off of Rachel's back and her feet landed on the ground underneath her. Every happy memory, every moment spent in this house with Alice and the rest of the Cullen's and the Denali coven. Emmett cursing when he lost at a game, Esme reprimanding him about his language and then making Bella something to eat. She greatly missed Esme's cooking. Rosalie as she read a magazine with the confidant air around her. Jasper playing chess against Edward, with Tanya at the bronze haired boys side. Edward would try to cheat by reading Jasper's thoughts, but the blonde would readily tell that his brother was using his gift.

The other Cullen's and the Denali's as well had their own quirks and goings on that Bella thought about as she looked at the structure before her. Nothing compared to the time she spent with Alice though. Every time the pixie vampire would play her violin, every cuddle, every kiss, every touch, and smell. Bella took in a deep breath and tried to contain her tears of sadness, but when Kate walked out to greet the two girls, the dam broke. She fell to her knees on the ground and gripped the mulch and dirt in her fists.

There was no doubt in her mind that she was angry with Kate for not revealing herself sooner to Bella. Sobbing, Bella looked up into the golden eyes of the vampire before her and threw the mulch in Kate's face. The vampire blinked as the small twigs and dirt flied towards her and she felt shame in her chest. Alice had asked, no pleaded with her to look after Bella, but she took her sweet time coming back because her mate was here and she needed to think about what might transpire. Then she wanted the time to get to know Rachel, by herself. In Kate's mind it was all a very selfish reason for not telling Bella she was back.

The human cried from her spot on the floor and thought that she was better than this. Her behavior was poor and she wanted to stop crying; stop being so mad at her other best friend. A few moments passed and Bella talked herself down from her grief. That didn’t mean that she was going to forgive the blonde so easily. When Kate reached her hand out for Bella to take, Bella easily picked herself up off of the ground and walked to the now opened front door of the house.

Bella walked into the house and calmly took it all in again. She hadn't been in this house in months, but it all looked the same. Looking around, she noticed that Kate didn’t change anything in her time back in town. All of the furniture was in it's rightful place, the electricity still worked and even the television turned on. Bella tried every switch and found that the house still had power.

The vampire and shifter pair walked into the living room soon after Bella had reacquainted herself with the space. Bella sat down on the comfortable chaise lounge and waited for the other two to sit. Rachel sat down on the loveseat next to the chaise, while Kate sat on the full couch across from her. The blonde tried reaching out to her again, but Bella moved her hand into her jeans pocket. A look of anger spread to those green eyes and Kate knew that she was going to be in trouble.

"The only thing I want to know, is if Alice and the other's are okay." Kate nodded and relayed as much information as she could.

Explaining how the Volturi disconnected their phones and email accounts seemed something of a stretch for Bella, but Kate had told her about a skilled hacker the ancient vampires had in their ranks. She told the other two girls about her trip to her homeland and how she needed to think about a lot of things before coming back to Forks. The fact that a vampire and a shifter were destined to be was out of the ordinary even for their standards.

She explained how it was Alice that tasked her to come back and watch over Bella. The pixie herself was fine, physically. However, when Kate saw her last, those many days ago, she could see the strain it was taking on her emotions and on her mind. Being away from Bella for so long must be a real trial for Alice. Rachel reached out to Kate's hand and the two held on to one another for a few moments before letting go.

"I'm so sorry I didn’t contact you sooner. That I didn’t tell you I was here. I should've done so a long time ago." Kate looked down at her knees.

Bella needed air. She needed to breath. To get out and process all of this. She wondered if she could just walk home from here and leave Rachel and Kate to their own devices. But the wolf got up and followed her best friend. Looking at her imprint she wondered if this was all going to be worth it in the end. All of the pain they brought their friend, all of the pain that they had brought to each other. What was it all for if they didn’t have a family to share their happiness with?

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In the jail cell she is currently residing in, Alice wrings her fingers through her hair trying to pull it out by the roots. In each vision she has of her mate, she's getting into some sort of danger. With Riley's return, it brought fear and terror into her heart. For days Alice worried over if Bella was killed by the red eyed vampire. Everything was just so cloudy, blurry and uncertain. However, when her love drove over to the reservation of La Push, Alice relaxed ever so slightly.

But now, once again, the little seer was blind when it came to the future. It was as if you woke up with pitch black darkness in front of you. She paced the cell wringing her fingers together. If she had been human, her skin would've been raw as a result. Alice was jumpy, she looked as if she hadn't fed in days. Was she refusing the animal blood that the Volturi was providing her? Sure the pixie and her father were under arrest but the council of brothers weren't savages.

She just kept walking back and forth, back and forth and it didn’t look like there was an end in sight.

"Bella, what are you doing?"

Alice knew that with the wolves in the area of La Push, her visions were going to be a little off kilter. That however didn’t make anything easier. She heard foot steps inch closer to her cell. Was it Jane, Alec, Felix, or any of the others in the guard? He golden eyes widened as she took in the sight of the lady of the house. The fair haired, Sulpicia Volturi was cloaked and hooded, but Alice didn’t know why. It wasn’t as if the cherished mate of Aro was barred from wandering the compound.

Alice bowed her head slightly in respect for the royal. Her once spikey hair had fallen over her ears and shaped her face. It reminded her of her time as a human, and how her birth mother brushed it out so lovingly. She kept her shoulders high as she looked into the blood red eyes of the Volturi Queen. Sulpicia was to be respected and revered. Though she had no special skill of her own, there had been tales of her during the war with the Romanian Coven. She fought with great prowess and skill, taking down hoards of the monstrous vampires. It must have been something to behold.

"We must speak Alice." The blonde said as she wrapped her lithe fingers around the bars of the pixie's cell door.

"About?" Alice's question was short and to the point. Her tone was a little more gruff than she would've liked, but she was in this prison for months; all niceties had flown out the window as far as she was concerned.

"I know you are feeling the effects of being here for so long, but Aro does request an audience with you." Sulpicia's words rang through her pale perfect ears. Every syllable was loud almost screaming to her.

Alice knew that the continuing battle between the Romanian Coven and the Volturi was taking its toll on Aro and his brothers. Is this what the lord wanted to speak to her about? Did he think that she had any answers or insight on the situation. There had been no signs of any vision whatsoever for her, about the war or her mate. It was driving her mad. Alice turned back to the wall of her cell and ran a hand through her growing hair. It didn't feel greasy or dirty, such is the way of vampires. They didn’t secrete any oils or unpleasant smells. Other than the fact of her dirty clothes and unkempt visage, there was nothing wrong with the small Cullen's appearance.

"I don’t know what I can tell the lord on matters of war." She explained.

Sulpicia scoffed.

"Not matters of war my darling, but of the heart."

Alice once again turned her dull copper eyes to the lady.

"Dear Esme had come to me a few days prior, telling me of your tale with your mate and everything that has happened in the past year. It was only fitting that I speak to my husband about it. When I had told him that a Cullen had mated with a human, it seemed to spark something in him that he hadn't felt in some time."

The tiny seer waited for Sulpicia to continue.

"With the war ever waging, news that you had revealed your true nature had seemed to enrage Aro further. Adding Carlisle to the mix didn’t bode well with the situation either. He was so angered by this news, by the fact that one so trusted with our secret could squander it away like some passing trifle." The blonde shook her head slowly remembering the rage on her husbands' face.

"It brought his heart much despair to imprison you and your father, but his mind wouldn’t let him see reason."

Alice walked up to the bars. Close enough for Sulpicia to touch the skin of her face. The lady weaved her free hand through the iron bars and placed it on the girl's cheek.

"His heart grieves now and he wishes to apologize to you. Carlisle is already on his way down to see him."

The blonde stepped away from the bars after their moment had ended.

"Guard." She spoke plainly before nodding toward the locked gate.

The man had brought out a set of keys and fit one into the lock. The click of it unlocking, brought Alice a sense of joy that could not be understated. So she slowly walked out of the cell that had been her home for the better part of four months. In all honesty, the seer had lost count of exactly how many days she had been there.

Sulpicia and Alice shared another look before the lady walked in front of her to escort her to the audience chamber. The minutes ticked by and it felt like another eternity had passed by before the white room had met her gaze. It was bright in there; so bright that she had to shield her eye for a brief moment before rushing to her father and mother. Esme and Carlisle both hugged Alice around the waist, they were so eager to see their daughter that they had raised her up into the air a few feet before putting her down.

Esme looked at the red eyed royal and nodded once in gratitude before turning her attention to the three brothers. Aro in the center, Marcus on his right, and Caius on his left, the three were as imposing as the first moment she saw them. The ancient looked saddened, his eyes downcast in sorrow at the fact that he-himself had separated this family for so long, at the word of a stranger no doubt. Aro felt ashamed of his actions and wished he had possessed the gift of time travel so that he could right his wrongs.

"Alice, Carlisle-" He began once the joy of reunion had diminished.

"It has been brought to my attention that I have wronged you both in recent days."

Aro got up from his seat and descended the stairs to where the three Cullen's stood. He placed a hand on Carlisle's shoulder. One of his oldest friends, a colleague in many respects. The blonde man only smiled at him and covered the pale hand with his own. After a moment, Aro took his free hand and picked up Alice's right hand and brought it to his lips in a gentle apologetic kiss.

Only a second later did the lord use his gift of telepathy to see their thoughts and memories.

Visions fluttered all around him. First were Carlisle's; moving from place to place, finding work as a doctor. Meeting Esme, turning Edward, reuniting with his human mate and changing her into one of them. Then they moved again where they found Rosalie, beaten, bloodied, and dying. Changing her and watching with sadness as she ripped her former fiancé. Emmett and Jasper soon followed but it wasn’t until the meeting with Alice that their family finally became whole.

Alice's thoughts were next. Many were of abandonment, loss, and loneliness. When he shared the vision of Bella however, it was as if he had an epiphany. It was almost as if everything had clicked into place for the ancient. The events that had happened in the past year weaved over his mind. Meeting Bella, the van, trying to keep their secret, trying to steer Bella away from them and their dangerous nature. Then James and Victoria had showed up with Riley in tow. Everything went wrong after that. Aro felt the sting of revenge as it coursed through Alice's body and the satisfaction she had felt as she dismembered her maker's killer. The pain Alice felt seeing Bella hurt was his own as the memory of James's venom made its way through the human's bloodstream.

He could taste the copper of Bella's blood in his mouth as Alice bit into her arm to save her from the turn. It all became so clear to Aro and as he released his hold on the two Cullen's his shoulders sagged with regret.

"I am so sorry, my friends. I made a grieve error in keeping you here." Aro's once strong voice shook with unshed tears.

Caius and Marcus got up out of their seats and went to comfort their brother. Sulpicia was there also, standing close to her mate and husband.

"You were deceived, brother. We all were." The blonde spoke.

"Yes, this _Victoria_ came with her words of a crime being committed when no such deed had been done." Marcus continued, trying to reassure Aro that he was not to blame for their imprisonment.

"I was the one that held them here without cause. I should've talked to them, should've used my gift as I am doing now when they had arrived; but I just threw them in a cell like common criminals." The lord's voice now tinged with anger wavered through the throne room.

"It's in the past Aro." Carlisle put a hand on his shoulder like he had done so many times in the past and the brunette physically relaxed under his touch. Their friendship was unlike any other, it lasted for longer than any of them had cared to admit.

After a few more long moments, Aro said.

"Go home to your family, my friend." He smiled and hugged Carlisle tightly in appreciation for his forgiveness.

"Alice, I need to make some arrangements for you so that you can return to your mate." Aro spoke after separating from the hug he shared with the blonde.

Red eyes sought out his mate and the two smiled at one another as if meeting for the first time in a long time. Lord and lady both reached out and took each others hands before embracing lovingly. One light kiss later and Aro felt like a new man again.

"Be well."

And with that the three Cullen's now raced to the villa; two had plans of their own after so much time apart. The other, deep in thought at how to get around these blocks in her visions. She needed to see if Bella was alright, and with their phones and email accounts still deactivated, it was going to take time before she could talk to and see her mate once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both Kate and Lovely Aro apologize for their selfish actions and so concludes this Chapter. While its a new day for Bella and her friendship with Rachel, It's the end of a long imprisonment for Carlisle and Alice. The question now is, when will they be able to return to Forks and ultimately to Bella?


	15. Chapter 15

It seemed as if the weather itself was taunting Alice; laughing at her as it rained and rained. She had been in the villa now for a few days gazing out the window, waiting for the wind and falling rain to cease. The storms had knocked out the power in the Cullen house and therefore she couldn’t call her mate, or even send her an email. Alice yelled in anger and punched a decent hole in the wall of her room. The hole led to the hallway on the second floor and the pixie was reprimanded before tasked with fixing it.

So many hours lost because of this false imprisonment, now so many more last to damned mother nature. Was everything working against her now? Alice was trying to compose a new piece of music when she found that she couldn’t concentrate with the pattering of rain against her window. Normally she would find the sound comforting, but as it kept her away from Bella, it was her own worst enemy.

Thankfully her visions were now stable again. Alice saw Kate hunting on her own, she saw her going to the Swan residence begging for Bella's forgiveness. The human however remained firm in her anger toward the blonde. The seer was angry at her also, but understood Kate's need to spend time with her mate. Alice understood both parties sides. She knew that Bella was safe with Kate and now Rachel looking after her. Her mate stopped seeking out danger and spent more time concentrating on her schoolwork and her other friends.

Angela and Jessica were like Bella's shadows as they shopped, watched television, and did homework together. Her mate had even helped Angela watch her younger brothers. It was just something Bella did to keep her mind off of Alice. The tiny Cullen had seen what pain her exit had brought her and it made her chest ache. Hopefully it wouldn’t be much longer before Alice could see her again. She yearned for Bella's touch, her kiss, her smile.

There were times when Alice would lay down on her bed and close her eyes, to simulate sleeping. Sometimes when she closed her copper eyes, she saw Bella right in front of her, almost as if she were dreaming. That was impossible however, for vampires didn’t sleep.

A knock at her door rang out through the room and Alice turned her golden eyes to see Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and Edward standing there. The four of them entered the room and gave her a large group hug. With the sound of the rain echoing in her ears, the love of her family seemed to calm her drastically. It lasted for a long moment. Emmett had initiated the hug and therefore it was his large and bulky arms around her waist, the side of his head had laid on the top of her own. It looked like a downright awkward position, but Alice wouldn’t change it even if she could. The four siblings had missed their pixie, that much was certain. She missed them in turn.

After the hug, Emmett looked down at Alice and smiled. It was large and goofy and everything that made Emmett who he was.

"Come hunting with us Alice."

Looking out the window, the weather was proof enough that hunting wasn’t in their best interest right now. Who knew if any animals were out anyway?

"We don’t have to hunt here you know." Edward piped up.

Alice knew that he read her thoughts and then put his two cents in. After giving it another brief thought, the pixie knew that her hunger was growing. Her need to eat was more and more apparent. So, on foot, the five siblings raced out of the house and into the sheets of pouring rain.  
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Spring break was a godsend to Bella, for she could sleep in as much as she wanted to during the week. She had taken time off from her job at the sporting goods store so she didn’t really have anything to do other than spend time with her friends. Her ears picked up the sound of a motorcycle rumbling down the road and the residual sleepiness left her body quickly. Excited to see her friend Bella got up out of bed and got ready for the day. Looking out her window, she didn’t see Charlie's cruiser in the driveway and assumed that her father had left for work.

Bella went down the stairs soon after she got dressed and brushed her teeth. Not bothering with breakfast, she snagged her jean jacket off of the coat rack and ran out the door. Standing there with her arms crossed against her chest was Rachel. A smug smile wrapped onto the Quileute's lips. It appeared that Bella was late coming out of the house.

"Listen, we all cant have super speed like _some people._ " The teenager laughed before getting on the bike.

The wind in Bella's hair made her feel comforted. It felt like the times she would go running with Alice. There was a slight chill on the air, that made her remember the feeling of Alice's skin on her own. Thankfully, there wasn’t much time to dwell on the sadness creeping into her heart, for the reservation was teeming with activity. Some of her school friends had gone to the beach on La Push, so she saw a lot of familiar faces.

To Bella's surprise, she sees Angela cozying up to Paul Lahote and he wraps a strong arm around her shoulders. It's odd to see the boy in such a good mood, but she doesn’t question it for long. Who knows, maybe her friend can ease his mind and soothe his heart. Rachel and Bella walk over to Emily's house where Seth, Leah, and Jacob are sitting, waiting for a meal. The two siblings look slightly different and it doesn’t take Bella long to find out why.

"You two shifted." It wasn’t a question but a statement.

Now that Bella knew about the Quileute's and their ways, it wasn’t hard to follow along with who would be next in line to phase. There was a sad smile on both Leah's and Seth's faces, but Jake was all too happy about the change his friends had undertaken.

"What's wrong?" Bella asked after seeing her friend's sullen faces.

"Our dad is in the hospital on the Res. He had a heart attack after seeing Lee shift." Seth explained.

Rachel hadn't mentioned anything about this happening when they first saw each other. Turning her bright eyes to the newly shifted teenager, Bella put an arm on the girl's shoulder in apology. A warm hand covered her own instantly and it seemed like Bella herself was the only thing holding Leah to the ground. Holding her in place.

"Harry is a brilliant leader and a strong man." Rachel had said before sitting next to Leah in the empty chair at the table. "I'm sure he'll pull through."

Bella didn’t look too sure. The man was in his mid 50's with a high cholesterol. She put on a good face for the siblings however. Emily came out with a large plate filled with pancakes moments later though and it seemed that the conversation was over for now.

After everyone, including Bella, had eaten the five of them all went to the cliff to blow off some steam. For Leah it was well deserved, for she held in her emotions for most of the day. Her mother and brother were already emotional messes, so they didn’t need her being one also. Seth was the first to jump into the still icy waters. His excited voice whooted and hollered all the way down to the rocky bottom. Then it was Leah's turn, who did a front flip over the edge. Jake did a canon ball and screamed his oncoming arrival to the bottom. Rachel leaned against the truck of the tree that was nearby. She didn’t have any intention on making the leap, so she watched Bella as she looked timidly over the edge of the cliff.

The teen knew that it was high up. Higher than she had ever thought would be here in the town of Forks. It seemed as if cliff diving was the most exciting thing here. As Bella's foot neared ever closer to open air, Rachel spoke up.

"Only shifters can make that jump. It’s a little too dangerous for you Bells."

Bella's heartbeat raced as she could hear her pulse in her ear. Looking up, she saw something in the open air before her. The horizon seemed to open in front of her beckoning the clouds away from the sun, the familiar color or orangish bronze met her gaze. It reminded her of Alice's eyes. Could this be her girlfriend reaching out to her, trying to tell her something. The smooth shape of the tiny Cullen's face came into view then, like a ghost. It looked sad and displaced.

It made Bella want to move closer, but before she could take a step, Rachel was there to catch her around the waist.

"Whoa there killer. Didn’t you hear what I just said?"

Shaking her head at the sound of her friend's voice, the star-struck teen gained her bearings once again.

"Y-yeah. Thanks Rachel."

The two girls made their way back down to the beach to meet their friends, but the cliff was always in the back of her mind. When her sneakers hit the soft yet dense sand on the beach, Bella turned her head and looked at the terrifying chasm once more.  
_____________________________

Night had fallen and Bella was once again home. She had eaten dinner and taken her leave soon afterward. Climbing the stairs, she felt an odd sensation come over her. Was she going to have another nightmare tonight? Would it be just as horrible as the last one she had all those months ago? The nightmares had taken a back seat to her in recent months, thanks to the presence of her shifter friends and Bella was very grateful for that.

The dark circles that had once taken residence under her bright turquoise eyes were receding nicely. The color had come back to her cheeks, but there was always something missing for her. There was always an empty space in her bed where her girlfriend once laid. Alice. The shape of her was still imprinted in her sheets. Her smell still wafted through Bella's nose when she put a pillow to her face. Her voice was still the soundtrack of her hearts desire.

Bella felt the familiar heartache in her chest and her steps faltered as she went into her bedroom. Opening the wooden door, she saw the emptiness that was her bed. The sheets were all tucked in the right places, her pillows were neatly at the headboard waiting for her to lay upon them. The teen wanted nothing to do with them however and sat in the chair at her desk.

Pulling the lever underneath it, Bella leaned back in the chair and gently closed her eyes. In the awkward position it was hard for her to gain sleep, but her body was willing to undergo the change. Her treacherous eyes closed before she could even think to keep them open.  
________________________________

At first her sleep was nothing but black. After a few moments however, a shining light had taken the place of the darkness. It hurt Bella to keep her eyes open, but the pain soon ebbed away and her human eyes adjusted to the brightness of the scenery around her.

There was a large bonfire ahead of her and it seemed to beckon her forward. With each step Bella took, her feet sunk deeper and deeper into the ground. It was almost like quicksand. The grass beneath her feet kept her in place for a few moments before Bella unlaced her sneakers and kicked them off of her.

The ground seemed satisfied with her shoes for the moment and she walked on unhindered. Bella heard voices seeping from the bonfire. They were calling to her each voice was like a song to her ears.

"Bella."

"Bella."

"Bella Bear."

"Bella."

The voices all rang in her ear over and over again until she got right up to the flame itself. For some reason, she couldn’t feel the heat of it. She couldn’t feel anything but as she looked down at the logs that kept the light going, her eyes widened. Her mouth opened in a silent scream as she saw the heads and limbs of the Cullen family looking right at her. Their golden eyes opened in fear and in pain as they kept burning to nothing but cinders.

Emmett's face crumbled to ash first. His once bright and comforting smile now stuck in its death mask. Then Rosalie's came next. Kate, Irina, Tanya, all gone in seconds. Esme and Carlisle, Carmen and Eleazar, Edward and Jasper, burned away to nothing. Bella couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, there was nothing she could do to stop them from burning. There, underneath the ashes of her family was Alice. Her head was still there; eyes looking upon her with nothing but love and devotion. Her mate's limbs melted away like ice upon a hot pavement.

Bella shot forward into the fire and that's when she felt the overbearing heat of the bonfire. She screamed in pain as she reached for Alice's head. The skin of her fingers burned away to show the muscle and sinew holding her together. Once her hands grasped the cold skin of Alice's face, there was a certain peace that came over her body. The heat of the fire still burned and she mourned the loss of her family. Her tears dropped onto the ashes beneath her and steam took their place.

One last scream sounded over the once so peaceful courtyard, and everything went black once more.  
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Bella shot up from her bed as she screamed out in pain. The pain from her dream wafted into her waking thoughts and feelings and her hands were empty. Turning them over again and again, Bella saw that her skin and muscles were still intact. There was a relief that came upon her then, and Charlie came running up to her room, but soon the fear and pain were gone. The only thing that stayed was the feeling of emptiness and then sadness.

Seeing Bella cry brought her father from his spot in her doorway and over to her bedside. Hugging her to him, Charlie wondered what could've happened to bring the nightmares back.  
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Alice threw another punch at her brothers opened palm, yelling out in anger as she did so. She saw a vision of her mate having another nightmare, having another night of tears and pain. The weather outside was still torrential as the rain continued for days on end. There was even threat of a flood in the area near Volterra. Emmett took Alice's punch in stride however and wrapped his large fingers around her fist. It was late in the afternoon when Alice begged to spar with someone. Emmett was already up for the challenge and volunteered himself.

"This damned rain!" Alice yelled in frustration.

Weather like this had once been her sanctuary, her safe haven. Now it was her mortal enemy. She couldn’t get back to Bella; couldn’t talk to her, couldn’t see her. It was all becoming a nuisance to her. Alice yelled out again as her hands weaved themselves in her hair. She tied it up in a ponytail to keep it out of her face after Esme brushed it.

It was comforting to feel her mothers touch, but nothing compared to Bella's. She needed to get back, weather be damned. Jasper felt his sister's anger and went to see what the issue was. Emmett had everything under control however and just cracked his knuckles when Alice brought her fist away from his hand.

"I wish I could change the weather."

Alice said sadly. She couldn’t bare to be another moment away from Bella, but fate had other things in store for her it seemed. Opening the door to the shed where the two were sparring, Alice walked out into the sheet of oncoming rain. There seemed to be no end in sight. The pixie looked up at the sky and screamed at it. Her hands clenched into fists as she raised them up into the air in defiance.

As she walked back to the house, Alice saw Esme standing in the doorway with a plush towel in her hands and a sad look in her eyes. The tiny Cullen smiled sadly and took the towel from her mother. Drying off her hair was no small feat now that it had grown a little. She ascended the stairs to go to her room. She needed to play again. She needed to feel grounded here to the world. If Bella wasn’t there to provide that for her, the instrument could in the meantime.

The smooth shiny wood under her fingers reminded Alice of Bella's skin. The soft hair on the bow reminded her of her mate's long brunette locks. According to the time difference in Italy, it would now be the morning in Forks. Was Bella spending time with Rachel? Did she forgive Kate enough to let her in again? What was she doing. As she played her violin, her only thoughts were of Bella; her only wish now was for the rain to stop and come another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't have the drama end so easily. I have one cruel trick up my sleeve, the climax to this story coming right up. Hope y'all are ready.


	16. Chapter 16

Bella had awoken quite early the morning after her nightmare. She was glad to see the overcast skies when she opened her eyes. It was a familiarity that she never took for granted. Stretching, Bella got out of bed and began to get ready for the day. After getting dressed, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and her hair before going downstairs for breakfast. Her ears didn’t pick up the tell tale snoring of her father in any part of the house, so she had assumed that he had went to work early that morning. 

Eating alone wasn’t ideal, but she was used to it now. Bella ate in silence and she ate quickly. Her mind always seemed to wander if she was stuck in one place too long; and a wandering mind didn’t do her any good now. Not waiting much longer around the house, Bella took her keys from the hook by the side door in the kitchen and walked out to her truck. After locking the door she had departed from she got into her vehicle and drove, just drove. The teen didn’t have any destination in mind, but she just needed the ride. She put the windows down and felt the nice breeze on the air. In Fork's it was always kind of chilly, no matter the season. 

A few moments later, Bella-low and behold-found herself once again at the Quileute reservation. It was almost becoming annoying how often her body would just act on its own. After grumbling and sighing, she found that there was nothing else better to do than be here right now, especially with everything that was going on right now. So she parked her truck and got out of the driver seat to walk down the awaited path.  
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Out in the forest, Rachel, along with some others from Sam's pack , including Jake, Seth, and Leah patrol. The wooded area was teeming with tension. There was a vampire in the area. The redhead had returned. At first Rachel had thought she had chased Victoria all the way to the Canadian border, but it seemed like the leech couldn’t stay away for long. The scent overpowered her nose and the presence of the enemy made her large wolf body tremor in rage. Low growls and high pitched howls echoed throughout the forest where they stood. 

Even though Rachel was no longer part of Sam's pack, she still wandered the woods to protect her people and her land. There was another scent on the air. It wasn’t on her tribe's land but it was still there. It was Kate. She and the blonde hadn't talked much since Bella had walked out of the Cullen house, but maybe now was the chance to come closer with her. Did Kate pick up the scent of the red-eyed vampire also. It seemed so as Kate's scent drew closer and closer to her. Golden eyes widened as she watched both red hair and blonde race passed her. 

What was Kate doing? Rachel had thought as she ran after the pair. The blonde vampire knew that she was unable to proceed on these grounds, but the white wolf followed none the less. As she neared the two, she watched as Kate chanced a look behind her to her mate. Two pairs of golden eyes locked and each nodded and huffed in silent agreement as they gave chase.  
___________________________________

Bella walked up the familiar path that led to the tree line of the reservation. She had been up here only a couple of times before, but the teen remembered Jake and the others talk about the cliff diving and how it was an awesome thrill. The teen made sure not to trip on any upturned roots that littered the ground. Her footing was sure and confident as she walked to the destination in mind. 

Could Alice see her now? Would she know what she was doing? Would the pixie be angry with her? There were many times Bella had sought out danger in these past few months. Only to catch a fated glimpse of Alice. The tiny Cullen was always there to save her. Just like before when James and Victoria had taken her. Just like when Tyler's van almost crushed her. Or the time when she was almost assaulted by the group of men in Port Angelus. There had to be some moment when her knight in shining armor would return to her. 

Bright turquoise eyes now looked to the murky choppy water below. Her heartbeat began to race as wave after wave crashed along the rocks. Taking a step away, Bella began to tremble. Her fear was palpable now and tears welled in her eyes. She looked to the horizon expecting the clouds to part and give her a small peek at the sun. it was to no avail however, there was no light, no warmth, only sadness and emptiness.  
_____________________________________

As Kate and Rachel neared their target, the only thing they had to do was reach out and grab her. No one was behind them, no one could see them, thanks to their speed and agility, the white wolf and her imprint were the only ones on Victoria's trail. Rachel opened her jaw wide to grasp the red head with her teeth. As soon as it snapped shut however, she found her quarry had inched further away and into the trees. This is where Kate came in. The firetouch jumped into the air and wrapped her slim fingers around a branch and swung herself up into a nearby tree. With her mate below her, Kate could only chase Victoria as she neared the tree line. 

This leech, this red eyed scum was the reason Bella was in danger. She was the reason why her best friend and her family was taken away. The blonde's anger coursed through her and it amplified her power. The electricity was now at her fingertips. Wanting to shoot it out at her prey, she couldn’t risk hurting Rachel. The white wolf kept up her pace nicely and the blonde smiled. If it were under better circumstances, this would lead to something much more pleasurable in Kate's mind; but now the only thing they could do, was catch Victoria. 

Seeing her chance, Kate dove at the red-heads waist and the two went tumbling to the ground. Unfortunately for the blonde, Victoria threw a lucky punch across her jaw and when they landed, she was on top. With the leech on top of her imprint, Rachel growled loudly and her lip curled back in a threatening glare. 

Victoria puckered her lips in a faux kiss and scattered quickly. Seeing the light of the tree-line, she picked up speed and launched herself over the cliff and into the water below. Rachel and Kate both skidded to a halt where the red head's feet left the ground. Stopping on a dime was never the wolf's strong suit so she used some of the momentum to situate herself on the rocky ledge. 

Her golden eyes searched the water's surface, even with her enhanced sight, there was nothing to see. Victoria had gotten away again. Kate looked as well over the edge of the cliff in front of her and searched for the vengeful nomad, but she was gone. There were strong heartbeats in the distance, the other wolves were nearby but they weren't coming near. Rachel hid herself in the trees to shift back and dress into the clothes wrapped around her ankle. 

A black tank top and beige cargo shorts fell upon her like a second skin. Kate could feel her eyes dilate at the sight of her mate. It had been too long since she had seen Rachel. The blonde shot forward and grasped her face in her hands before kissing her senseless. Letting out a sigh of relief, both girls now basked in each others presence. Kate pawed at the clothes now covering Rachel's perfect tan skin, while Rachel weaved her hands in Kate's long blonde hair. It was like the softest thing she had ever felt before. 

The cold of her imprints lips felt great among her heated skin as the blonde moved her kisses downward toward her neck and collarbone. Rachel could feel the dull canines against the column of her neck and it was all she could do not to strip Kate then and there. 

However, there was another sound in Rachel's ear. A heartbeat and a sigh. The breath being released from lips was sad, almost mournful. The heartbeat in the chest was frantic and scared. Brown eyes that were now gold in mid shift widened as she turned her attention to the right of hers and Kate's position. 

A figure stood at the edge of the cliff there, contemplating the need to jump. It was dressed in a jean jacket and a long sleeve dark green shirt. Jeans also covered the legs of such a figure, and the tell tale long brown hair shifted in the wind. Bella's scent reached her nostrils and it was only then that the two women separated, like they had been burned by fire. 

"Bella." They both said with bated breath.  
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Turquoise eyes closed gathering their courage as Bella peeled her jean jacket off of her. Her brown hair flew wildly in the wind but she brought up her hand to keep it in place. Once again stepping up to the ledge, Bella heard Alice's voice in her ear. 

"Bella, please don’t." 

The voice behind her was watery and filled with tears of sadness and frustration. 

The teen turned her head up and to the right of her to see Alice standing there beside her. She didn’t look like a ghost, Bella couldn’t see through her like all of the other times before. Alice was there and she looked to be real, but when Bella raised her hand to touch her cheek, it phased through her. The girl expected to feel the cold temperature of her love's skin, feel its smoothness beneath her palm, but it was all a trick; yet again it was just another trick. 

"Watch me." She said defiantly. 

Bella didn’t know if fate had it out for her, or if it was just how her life was going to work now. There was something she could do about it though. She could take fate into her own hands, she could bring Alice back to her. 

"Please, for me." Alice's voice spoke out again.

"You won't stay with me any other way." Bella felt her heart begin to race again as she stepped to the edge of the cliff. 

Blinking one last time, the teen then took one last step and dropped down into the icy waters below, hearing Alice's voice scream her name one more time.  
________________________________________

"BELLA!!!" Alice screamed from her room in the villa she shared with her family. 

Taking the instrument she had clenched in her fist, she threw it against the ground. Slammed it with all of her might until it shattered into a million tiny pieces. Then, once the wooden object had become a thing of memory, Alice went about ripping her sheet music to shreds; tearing every last fiber of it apart. The black ink on the pages resembled nothing but ink blots as they formed together on the ground. 

"NO!!! BELLA!!!!" 

She yelled again. This brought members of her family up the stairs and into her bedroom. Esme was the first to enter to see her daughter moving to her closet. Tearing up her clothes until it was nothing by stray threads pooling at the wooden closet door. Then as she moved to hold her daughter, to see what the matter was, Emmett approached and went to hold her in place. His strength however was nothing compared to the pixie's now. Her rage and her sadness threw him off of her in mere seconds. 

Emmett's large body flew across the room and narrowly missed Edward and Jasper. Both of the boys tried to contain her in some way, but her thoughts and feelings had become chaotic. Jasper could begin to feel the agony coursing throughout her body and fell to the ground with all of the negative emotions. It was all to heavy now. 

Edward began to read Jasper's thoughts. The sadness that he was feeling was not his own. It was apparent that it was Alice's. 

By now the tiny seer had moved her destruction to the bed that she had laid in. Stuffing from pillows and duvets flew into the air like shrapnel. They too had become a casualty in the internal war that Alice was having with herself. Rosalie and even some of the Denali coven had come to see what the matter was and were shocked to see all of the damage that was being done by one small vampire. 

Esme took her chance now, as Alice was tearing her mattress in two, and wrapped her long and comforting arms around her daughter's shaking shoulders. Dark copper eyes widened as Alice's movements halted at once. Feeling her mother's hug around her body made her stop instantly. Her thoughts and feelings now coming together into coherence.

Her body shook with dry sobs and she wailed out. The sound was like nothing anyone had ever heard before. No one spoke for many moments. Edward didn’t intrude in her mind as his sister cried out her pain. Something dire had happened, something that Alice nor anyone else could ever conceive of. After a while Edward took the liberty of reading the pixie's mind. The girl was still sobbing, crying out like nothing he had ever heard before, but her thoughts were now clear. 

"She jumped." He said quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear.  
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When Bella took that first step off of the cliff, she felt a rush of adrenaline. Her blood was pumping through her veins and she felt alive for the first time in a long time. The cold of the water rushed around her body and soaked her to the core of her body. Thankful for the deep breath she had taken right before the plunge, Bella kicked her legs to go to the surface of the water and broke through. 

Her hair wet and plastered to the sides of her face, she smiled at the thought of how she had survived the fall that could've easily taken her life. Bella waded around in the ocean and squinted her eyes at the sting of the salt water. Turning her body, the teen took notice of the large wave that was fast approaching her. There was no time to get out of its way, so Bella braced herself for the full blow of it. 

The squall took Bella down into the depths of the ocean and it was like her body was now just a piece of driftwood. She silently begged for Poseidon's mercy as her body twisted and tumbled in the water. The current was becoming too strong and it tossed her into the cliff wall that lead deep underneath the surface. Her head hit the rocky wall and her vision became disoriented for a brief moment, but as she opened her eyes again in the stinging water, Bella saw a shape in the distance. A shape that was coming closer to her, a shape with bright red hair and violent eyes. 

Swimming back, Bella tried to swim upward, to grab hold of something, anything that might save her from Victoria's wrath. She flailed her arms and legs about, to bring her higher, but the ocean however had other plans. Another large wave came and took her down further into the watery depths. The force of it shot her back against the rocky wall again and this time the back of Bella's head solidly hit the jagged surface. 

Fear now the major emotion in her chest, Bella found that she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Her body her body sank further and further down possibly sinking forever. Thankfully a warm hand plunged into the water after her and grasped her forearm. As Bella felt herself be pulled up, her consciousness left her. Her eyes closed and she just laid there on the sand for what felt like forever. 

The water that had lodged itself into her lungs was forced out by chest compressions provided by whoever had saved her. Bile had risen in her throat now as she heaved in a breath. Turning her body to the side, the teen let out whatever she had eaten that day onto the sand. Her long brown hair was wet and her eyes still stung from the ocean, but she was alive. 

"Bella?" She heard a familiar voice in the distance. 

The voice was musical and far away for whatever reason, but it was getting closer. Recognition came upon her face as the blonde Denali girl came running up to her. Rachel's face and voice were now becoming visible to her as well. Kate raced down the forbidden beach and dropped to her knees, sliding across the sand and hugging her human friend to her chest. Bella was shocked to see the vampire in front of her. To see her and to feel her hug around her body. The human teen was so angry with her for days and days, but here Kate was hugging her and forgiving her for her cold attitude. 

Rachel saw the emotional reunion and also wrapped her arms around Bella's waist. Hugging herself to her best friend's back the three of them just sat there; thankful for the fact that Bella was alive. Wet and cold, but alive.  
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Alice sat in a corner of her bedroom for days, not moving, not even to hunt. Her copper colored eyes became the dark black of onyx. She felt a certain warmth upon her skin and when she looked down at her arms-which were wrapped around her knees-she watched them sparkle with the tell tale sign of sunlight. Alice closed her eyes as the glowing orb of light radiated on her over her body. Now, for whatever reason, the clouds that had become so familiar to her, parted. A ray of sunlight shined down onto the Cullen villa. Gone was the smell of the rain, gone was the pitter-patter of the foul weather. 

How long had it been sunny again? Alice wondered as the events from a couple days ago lingered in her mind. 

Bella was gone, she jumped into the treacherous sea and was gone from her sight. The pixie remembered writing and composing the most beautiful song for her mate when she saw her again. Now, there was nothing left. As Alice looked around her room for the first time in forever it seemed, she surveyed the destruction she had caused with her own two hands. Wood splinters and goose feathers and torn shreds of clothing now made up the floor of her room. The hard wooden planks hidden from view she looked at the large whole in the wall that lead to the outside world. 

Edward, who was downstairs with his family thought about the loss that Alice was feeling now. The entire Cullen and Denali families mourned the supposed death of Bella Swan. The human who had become such a permanent fixture on their lives. Thoughts from every vampire there roamed around in his mind. 

Every regret, every apology, every loving memory flooded through him. Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs. Everyone looked to the staircase to see Alice, or rather a shadow of her walk down and into the living room. She made no move to sit down, but she did make a request. 

"I need to call Charlie."

Carlisle, who had been holding his wife's grief stricken body in his arms, reached into his pants pocket to retrieve the phone that had now been reactivated. Charlie Swan, both residence and cell phone numbers were listed under his contact information. She was blind to which number she dialed first, but her thumb hovered over the phone screen and once she pushed the number next to Charlie's contact photo, Alice put the receiver to her ear; and waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited cliff diving scene. Also, I had to look up the chase scene that lead up to Jake saving her in OG canon, but I hope the addition of Kate doesn't ruffle any feathers. A Cullen/Denali on Quileute land will be explained in the next chapter. As to why Alice didn't just use her own phone to call Charlie, well if you just saw your soulmate jump from a cliff, you'd be a little scatterbrained too. I love Alice and her connection with Bella, even in Canon. It'd only make sense that her reaction was an emotional one.
> 
> Side note here: after this story, I will most likely be taking a break from Twilight stories and focus on my Sailor Moon Femslash. I feel bad for leaving that one unfinished for so long.


	17. Chapter 17

A few days after Bella's perilous dive, she accompanied Rachel and Jake to the funeral of one Harry Clearwater. The man's health had declined rapidly and he passed in the night. Sue, Leah and Seth were all saddened by the loss of their father/husband. Bella went to the beautiful service that was held for the elder and even put a rose on his casket with her father. The teen had stayed until Charlie, Billy and some of the older men began drinking in their friend's honor. 

Jake had to patrol that night, so Rachel took her home. As they drove, Rachel thought about her own relationship with the man now six feet under. He wasn’t exactly the kindest on the reservation, nor did he respect her as Alpha. He felt that it was Sam's duty to uphold the position until Jacob came of age. 

Rachel gripped the steering wheel tighter in her hands and kept her eyes on the road. Thinking over to Sam and Paul, she felt the need to mourn for them. Harry was a mentor, a teacher and a friend to them when they had shifted into wolves. He was understanding and took it upon himself to train them when there weren't any others who could. 

Slowing down to pull into Bella's driveway, Rachel almost sighed with relief as she saw the bleach blonde hair of her imprint. She felt her body relax as she parked her light blue pick up and turned off the engine. The only way that she remembered that Bella was with her was the open and shut sound of the passenger side door. 

Kate stood from her spot on the stoop and walked over to Rachel and Bella, relaying her condolences to the pair. The shifter was surprised at the sorrowful words echoing from the lips of her girlfriend, but she supposed that’s how Kate was. Forgiving and understanding, to her anyway. Their families didn’t have the best history but with everything that was happening, Sue taking her husband's place on the council and all, she hoped most of the bad blood would fade away. 

Bella and the blonde hugged briefly before Rachel stepped in and kissed the vampire chastely on the lips. 

"The service went well then?"

"As well as expected." Rachel said as she wrapped one arm around her imprints waist.

The two faced the front door where Bella was now. The teen put her key in the lock and turned it until the clicking of the tumblers sounded through their ears. All three of them stepped through the threshold and while the two love birds sat on the couch, Bella opted to go upstairs and take a shower. 

Even with it being a few days since she plunged into the ocean, the girl just didn’t feel clean. Bella still felt the stiffness of the sea water in her hair and on her skin. Bidding her friend's adieu, she climbed the stairs to the large bathroom across from her room. 

While Bella showered and washed herself, Rachel and Kate sat with one other, turning on the television to see if there had been anything good on. The shifter's stomach grumbled loudly, begging for attention. Blushing, Rachel extracted herself from her love's hold and made her way into the kitchen. 

The Black girl knew that Charlie and Bella were suckers for microwaved popcorn, so she picked a bag out of the pantry, homestyle of course, and placed it in the microwave. Setting the timer for a few minutes Rachel just stood there waiting for her snack to be finished. Kate was still channel surfing when the shrill ring of Bella's house phone on the wall sounded. 

Picking it up and placing the receiver on her ear, Rachel was pleased that the chord was long enough to stretch to the microwave comfortably. 

"Hyello." Rachel spoke into the telephone. 

"R-Rachel." It was Alice on the other line. 

The pixie vampire didn’t give her any time for pleasantries she just kept talking, her voice tired and seemingly numb. 

"Is Charlie there?"

The automatic response left Rachel's mouth seconds later. 

"Sorry Alice," she said solemnly.

"He's at a funeral." 

The line went dead moments later. The silence was like an alarm bell in Rachel's ears. She couldn’t get over the immediate response and the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. This was not a comfortable quiet. It was a haunting one. 

Looking over her shoulder to see what was taking her lover so long, Kate's golden eyes picked up on the fright in Rachel's brown ones. She raced over to the girl and placed her cold hands on her shoulders. 

"What's wrong?" Kate asked. 

"I think Alice is in trouble." 

Without much time wasted, the phone rang again. Rachel picked it up and held the contraption tightly in her hand. It wasn’t Alice this time, but a male's voice filtering through the fog in her mind. 

"Hello, Rachel." Edward said.

"Is Kate with you?" 

Without any other prompting, Rachel pointed the telephone toward Kate and leaned up against the wall. Weaving a hand through her hair in distress, she could barely pick up the conversation the two vampires were having. 

"Edward, what's happening over there?" Kate said worriedly.

"Alice had a vision about Bella; not a good one." 

The blonde also stressfully put a hand through her hair as she heard those words from her brother in law. This was not a good sign. It must have been about Bella jumping into the ocean. Did Alice really think that her mate was dead? The Denali knew about the shifters and their ability to fog Alice's visions, and with Rachel pulling Bella out of the water, Kate knew that the pixie wasn’t able to see that. 

"Shit." 

"Is Bella alive?" Edward asked with hope in his voice. 

"Yes. The funeral that Charlie's at is for an elder at La Push." 

Kate could literally see Eddy crinkle his nose and put a hand to his forehead, rubbing out a headache. After a sigh from the other line, she heard the telepath's voice again.

"So she has been fine this entire time and you didn’t feel the need to call us?" He said accusingly. 

The blonde felt her electricity course to her fingertips as she became angry. She explained how her phone had been disconnected when she returned to the states and how she tossed it after find that out. She hadn't been able to call anyone with the absence of a phone. It wasn’t as if she had remembered any of their phone numbers either. That's what technology was for. It did everything for you these days. 

With another sigh from Edward, another voice made its way to Kate's ear.

"Edward."

It was Jasper. There was no telling what the empath was feeling in that house of chaotic emotions. 

"You two need to get here, fast."

The phone disconnected with a click and the blonde hung it back up on the wall. 

Golden eyes looked down at the smooth tile on the kitchen floor for a few moments before the loud ringing came once again. Kate picked it up and said hello. Her eyes grew sad as she heard Esme's sobbing voice on the other line. 

Rachel heard the water from upstairs turn off, signaling the end of Bella's shower.

"Katie!" Esme sobbed into the phone.

"You need to hurry. I think Alice is going to do something terrible."

It broke both Rachel's heart and Kate's to hear the mothers loud cries. Esme didn’t deserve this kind of pain. No mother did. As Bella descended the stairs, freshly clean with her pajamas on, she saw the two other girls looking right at her. 

"What?" Bella asked confused.

"Don’t worry Esme, we'll be there soon."

The blonde hung up the phone after that and when no other ringing came, she told Bella.

"Pack a bag kid. We have to go and save your pixie." 

Without any other prompting needed, Bella turned on the steps and raced to her room.

Rachel reached out to her imprint and the two girls clasped hands. Kate moved from her position next to her mate, to in front of her. They leaned forward and touched their foreheads together. The shifter and vampire took in each other's scents before Rachel spoke again.

"Come back to me."

Kate only smiled and said.

"Always.  
_______________________________________________

Alice ran through the wheat fields that surrounded her family's villa to the Volturi compound. Her face was a mask of unfeeling but her heart was in turmoil. Bella was dead, Rachel had confirmed that one fact with her answer. Charlie was at a funeral. She didn’t feel the need to look into the future, for there was none for her now. Alice didn’t want to use her gift anymore. It was nothing but a hinderance to her. With the shifters ever present, casting clouds upon her visions; and the way that humans changed their minds over and over again, how could she rely on such an ability. 

Voices rang through her mind, accusing and angry. 

Freak, outcast, failure. Never should've been born. You're a freak and a failure. You couldn’t save your own mother. Couldn’t save your sister. Couldn’t save your mate. Your family hates you. You were captured and taken, too weak to fight. Too weak to go back. Too weak to return to the one you loved most. Now she's dead. Bella's dead. DEAD and it's all your fault.

Couldn’t save her from James. Couldn’t save her from Victoria. From Riley. It's all your fault Alice. All your fault. YOUR FAULT. 

Alice's steps faltered as she ran. Tripping over a gopher hole, she flew through the air and landed on her front. Her face was in the dirt and her hands gripped the soil. She pounded again and again, her fists flying up and down until they created small craters in the earth. Why?! Why was this happening to her?! Why Bella? Why her mother? Just, why? 

There was the old adage that everything happened for a reason; but wasn’t there a limit to how much she could take? Apparently not. Getting up to go again, Alice had only one thing on her mind. To join her mate in death, for if they couldn’t be together in life, then she would meet her on the other side. 

The town of Volterra came into view moments later, crowds of people gathered in the courtyard facing the clocktower ready for the coming festivities. Alice kept to the shadows, walked up to the front doors of the Volturi palace and pounded upon them, knowing that someone would answer. It was one of the guard of course, one that she had seen only a handful of times but she had never forgotten a face. Demetri stepped aside so that Alice could enter the threshold. 

Nothing stopped her now as she walked down the hall and toward, what would hopefully be, her salvation; her absolution.

Upon seeing Alice, the lord took in the pixie's haggard appearance and wondered what could've happened in the few days since she had first left their care. Alice's white blouse was untucked and the sleeves were uneven. One was rolled up to the elbow while the other was full length to her wrist. Dirt was spattered over the front of her. Her dark slacks were tainted with dirt and grime and her feet were bare. What had happened?

Alice stepped in front of the three thrones and knelt down on the ground, her emotional trauma weaving through her core. Her face still the faithful mask it had been since she left her family villa, she waited for Aro to bring her what she needed. 

With a tone that was loud and sure, Alice spoke.

"My mate is dead." It was a sentence that would cause the world to crumble for any vampire.

Aro walked up to Alice and placed a hand upon her shoulder before holding out his free one. The tiny Cullen placed her pale hand in his own and watched his face as he saw into her thoughts and memories once again. This was the third time he had done so with Alice and hopefully he would understand why she begged for death. 

A tirade of emotions crossed over the lord's face then. Sadness and anger were the two primary ones and he kept his breathing steady and constant. Letting go of Alice's hand was no easy feat. It was almost as if he had to pry it out of his own. The moment he saw Bella Swan take that dive into the watery depths beneath her, was the moment he knew what Alice was asking for. 

With sad red eyes, Aro looked into the seers own deep dark ones. Black from grief and not feeding regularly, he had wondered when the last time she hunted was. Aro also knew that the reason why Alice was here was to receive the final death. To be torn limb from limb and set aflame like so many criminals and enemies that he had come up against.

But this was Alice Cullen. Treasured daughter of his friend. He couldn’t give her what she was seeking no matter how much he wanted to. It was not his way. The grief that would befall the Cullen's after such an act would not bode well for his house. 

"I'm sorry Alice. I cannot give you what you seek." He said solemnly as he began to walk back to his wooden throne. 

"KILL ME!! PLEASE!" She cried once more. 

It was to no avail. All three of the lords shook their heads and left the room. Left Alice alone with her thoughts and feelings. They were proving to be too much as she cried, screamed, and hugged herself because of the pain in her chest. 

Was there really nothing she could do? The more she thought about the inevitable, the more she began to have an idea.   
______________________________________________

Bella never thought that she would go to Italy. Never in her lifetime did she think she would end up here. Kate drove Alice's yellow Porsche down the two lane road toward the Cullen Villa hoping for some answers. It wasn’t long till they pulled into the driveway and Bella unbuckled her seatbelt quickly and shot out of the car. 

Throwing open the door, Bella yelled out for Alice. Calling her name over and over until she found no answer. Not from the vampire she was looking for anyway. Esme came to the foyer and found her daughters mate standing there. She raced forward and gently put her arms around the human thanking her for her swift arrival. Carlisle and some of the others emerged from their rooms and went up to greet their human and Kate. Tanya who was with her husband, embraced her sister lovingly before turning her attention to Bella. 

Everyone got a good hug in, even Rosalie tentatively wrapped her arms around Bella's waist thankful that she was alive, if only for Alice's sake. 

Bella's confusion was noticeable to everyone in the house and Edward spoke up. 

"Alice had a vision of you falling into the ocean, but she never saw you resurface." 

There was a pause before he continued. 

"There were many times that she looked into your future. Some times she saw you clearly, other times not so much. The shifters are able to cloud her visions. With all of the time you’ve spent with your friends, Alice had grown quite apprehensive about using her ability at all; but she saw you fall, or jump, and when she didn’t have another, she feared the worst."

The human teen took a breath and exhaled. Picking up the mournful energy in the room, Bella spoke. 

"So Alice thinks-"

"Alice thinks you're dead." 

Edward said matter of fact. 

Bella took this statement into her chest and put a hand to her heart. She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, couldn’t move. Her heart was breaking for her mate and it broke for the family that no doubt thought the same when Alice told them of her horrific vision. 

"So what is she doing now?" Kate spoke up jarring Bella from her thoughts. 

"Before she left, her thoughts were chaotic. I could barely read them. Alice kept trying to block me, but I know what I would've done in her situation." His bronze eyes connected with Tanya's and the two reached for one another. 

Many of the other Cullen's nodded in agreement. The rest of the Denali coven entered the villa moments later. Irina smiled and called out for Kate before rushing to hug her. Laurent and the others all read the atmosphere in the room and remembered that Alice was still missing. 

"She's going to ask for the final death." Carlisle spoke out. 

There were a multitude of emotions running around the room. Emmett punched a hole in the wall nearest him. The voices became all too much. The father called for order and when none came, Esme put her fingers to her lips and whistled loudly. 

When the room became silent again, Carlisle said.

"Aro will not kill Alice now that we have been proven innocent of any crime." 

"One problem, father. There are a lot of human thoughts that I'm picking up on. There's dozens of them." Edward replied. 

Bella thought about this for a moment. If Alice thinks that she's dead, and wants to die because of it, she will do anything in her power to get what she wants. Alice is stubborn that way. With the amount of humans in the area, and Edward picking up on their thoughts, the seer will no doubt reveal herself to them.

"It's Saint Marcus's Day." Carlisle realized thanks to his perfect memory. 

"What's that?" Bella asked dreadfully. 

Esme went into a speech about how this day was the day that Saint Marcus ran out all of the Romanian vampires in Volterra. The blood sucking fiends had been plaguing the human inhabitants for years and years. There were so many sacrifices made so that they could live to see another morning. Stefan and Vladimir, the leaders of the Romanian coven did not leave quietly. The humans believed that it was some godly saint that drove the monsters out, but it was actually the brothers. 

There was to be a parade in the town square today in honor of the Volturi vampire and there would be a lot of people. Bella's eyes widened at the thought of Alice needlessly throwing her life away. Then she thought about all of the villagers that would see the pixie's marvelous, perfect, shining skin. That right was Bella's and her alone could gaze upon the beauty that was Alice Cullen. 

"What time is the parade going to start?" She asked any of the vampires present. 

Elezar looked at his pocket watch and saw that it was 11 o'clock. The precession would start any minute. 

"It's going to begin shortly." He said, his heart in distress. 

"We need to leave, now." Bella said before running back out the way she came in. 

Kate was right behind her and the two raced into the Porsche. Not bothering with the seatbelt, Kate started the engine and drove off toward the main city. She and Bella could see the other members of the Cullen and Denali families exit the house watched as they left to rescue their beloved daughter, sister, and friend. 

Entering the city wasn’t much of a problem. The crowds were more in the center of town by now. The car radio clock read 11:15. Bella was becoming concerned as she looked down all of the narrow alleyways searching for any sign of Alice. 

'Where could she be?' Bella thought as they came up on two police officers and a barricade. The authority figures stopped the car and went over to the drivers side to talk to Kate. It was a thick Italian accent that Bella couldn't begin to comprehend. 

The blonde next to her could however, and the fast paced conversation continued for a few moments. Thankfully the shadows overhead were blocking the bright sun, so they couldn’t tell she was anything but an attractive female. 

11:20. 

Time was growing short as Kate and the two officers talked amongst themselves. Bella opened the car door and got out, trying to find an alternate route to the center of town. With the teen running off into a nearby corridor, Kate could only watch as her friend ran in her pajama bottoms and spaghetti strapped camisole. 

"Ciao, Boys!" The blonde replied as she put the car in reverse and found another path to where the crowd was gathering. 

Bella climbed up so many stairs that her legs began to tremble. Her lungs burned as she took in the warm, dry air over and over again. Seconds ticked by in her mind as she ran down random alley ways, trying to find someone-anyone-who could lead her in the right direction. 

Then she heard raised voices, cheering for whatever reason. Looking to the right of her current position, Bella grumbled as she saw another set of cobblestone stairs. Taking a deep breath, the girl climbed the steps two at a time. 

She didn’t know how much time had passed since she had left the safety and comfort of the bright yellow sports car, but when she saw people dressed in red cloaks, she heaved a sigh of relief. Hopefully this would be the right way. Bella used her body to push passed others in the crowd. Some people were not too happy with her and voiced their displeasure. 

Thankfully Bella didn’t understand a word of what they were saying as she threw apologies over her shoulder. She had to keep running, had to keep going to reach Alice before she did something terrible. 

There was an especially large group of people, all chatting jovially when she neared the square. She didn’t want to just push through them, but this was the only chance that she had to reach Alice. Bella knew that her girlfriend was just passed this wall of grateful humans so she stepped forward and ran into the soft wall of bodies. 

Using her shoulders and arms, she weaved through the sea of red. Feeling the softness of the cloaks they were wearing, Bella almost felt a calmness come over her. Her heartbeat was in her ears now as the large clock tower loomed above in the distance. The minute hand was now at the Roman numeral 11. 

11:55

The clock had to be wrong. There was no way that thirty minutes had passed by since she left Kate in the car. Bella's turquois eyes saw the cobblestone ground of the center of the square and when she reached out her arms, she fell onto the edge of a water fountain. The stone material felt rough under her palms and fingers. 

Bella could feel many pairs of angry eyes on her back. They burned just like the sun on her skin. Two more minutes had gone by when she tried to make her way out of the menagerie of people. Her heaving chest was the only movement she made, her breath was the only sound in her ears. There was the background noise of the cheering people as a statue of their 'saint' was carried by strong church officials, but it was just the sound of white noise. It was all static to her. 

The clock seemed to move quicker as the remaining three minutes went by. The minute hand mocked Bella as she gazed upon the large clock face above her. The bell in the clocktower rung to sound the beginning of the celebrations, the villagers cheered loudly and raised their hands in reverence. Bella could only watch to see what was unfolding in front of her. 

Large double wooden doors of the building opened to reveal Alice standing behind them. Her eyes were downcast, looking at the dirt covered ground. Her hair was disheveled and out of place. Her blouse and pants were a wreck, but Bella could only look upon her lovers' face. There was so much pain, so much despair in those now charcoal eyes. 

Alice hadn’t fed, hadn't hunted in some time, Bella came to realize. Nimble, shaking hands came to rest upon the top button of the pixie's blouse. 

"Alice!" Bella yelled hoping that her mate could hear her over the loud voices in the courtyard. 

When the tiny seer made no move to look at her, Bella heaved herself over the low wall that surrounded the water fountain. The splash of the water around her ankles and the wetness that followed, made the teen well aware of the danger that her girlfriend was now finding herself. 

Her feet were heavy as she ran through the clear liquid. She picked up her knees trying to go faster. Bella's eyes grew wide as Alice's fingers unfastened every button that held her shirt together. Smooth arms pulled the material off of her body and nothing was there besides her white cotton bra. 

Skin was showing now, and if Bella had the time, she would bask in the marvel that was Alice. Now was not the time as the pixie stepped out closer to the sunlight. The radiance of the sun was reaching in to the shadowed halls and it took the teenager everything she had to move faster. Her entire outfit was soaked with the fountain water, but as she leaped over the wall and ran to Alice, she didn’t find it in her heart to care. 

Throwing her arms over the tiny vampires shoulders just in time to cover her, Bella wrapped her hands around Alice's neck and into her hair. She propelled them back into the building behind the Cullen and fell onto the ground moments later.


	18. Chapter 18

Alice never gave much thought as to how she would die. Not even as a human did she contemplate such a depressing thought. Did she want to grow old, grey, and feeble like most human beings? Not really; but she was never given much choice in the matter. That fateful night, her maker Kumboh; an African prince turned vampire, came and stole her away from the asylum that she had taken residence in. That too wasn’t her choice. Her father made it for her. He was too scared of her ability to see the future and where he was in it. He put her in that place where doctors and other patients thought she was mental. It made her angry to think about her past. That of which was filled with many regrets and choices that she never got to make. 

Fate it seemed had even chosen her mate for her. Soulmates weren't just thrown around by chance, they were destined for one another. Fate had given her such a gift, something that Alice had been missing her entire life-both human and vampire. With all of the cruel moments it had thrown at her, Bella was the one thing that she was glad she had no choice in. The human's determination, her stubbornness, her beauty, everything about Bella had been a boon to the tiny seer. For a time it was like living in a dream, until it had become a nightmare. 

The Volturi arriving in Forks was a mishap that Alice could not foresee. Her fear that day had been palpable. Felt by so many in her family. When Jane and the others of the guard took her away along with Carlisle and the rest of the vampires in there combined coven, it seemed to be the beginning of the end for her. Alice was sure that Aro would kill her when they had first arrived. His anger was a shock to the system. The lord was given false information about the events leading up to Bella's findings of a vampires existence. 

For months she sat in that dark, depressing cell with nothing but her violin and the occasional visitor to keep her company. Her visions had been unreliable in recent days, with all of the time Bella had been spending with the shifters at La Push. It was agony not being able to see her mate; not being able to make sure that she was safe. 

The hope she felt when Aro released Alice and her father was a feeling that she hadn't experienced in a long time. Hope that she could once again be reunited with the soulmate that fate had destined for her. As numerous days went by with no sunlight, with nothing but storms and other foul weather, Alice could do nothing but sit by and wait for the rain to subside. 

But fate it seemed had other things in store for her. That one vision that changed the course of her own future fell upon her like thousands of boulders. Each moment felt like another weight upon her shoulders; crushing Alice down further into the ground. The pixie then felt the weight of the world on her. Then as she watched Bella fall into the ocean and not resurface, fate had become her enemy. Her hatred at the world was the only thing keeping her going. Her will to seek death was the only reason she lived now. 

Alice sought out the brothers hoping for some sort or absolution. When she grasped Aro's hand for the third time in her existence, she begged and pleaded for death; but when he released her hand, sadness and dread filled her body. For when she looked in the lords eyes, all she saw was pity and regret. She screamed at him to give her what she sought. Alice's voice rang in her own ears and she was surprised at the anger and mourning in the sound. 

As the three brothers filed out of the throne room, Alice remembered one crucial fact about this day. This perfect, sunny day. It was Saint Marcus's day. A day where there would be hundreds of humans around the town square paying homage to the man, or godly saint that had saved them and their city from the demons plaguing them. She remembered seeing the crowds already beginning to gather when she arrived only moments earlier. Alice only needed to wait a few more hours, and then all of the inhabitants of Volterra would finally see the creature she really was. The perfect hunter, the perfect being. 

Fate was unkind to Alice for most of her natural life. It taunted her in her vampire one; now she would look it in the eye and spit at it's feet. 

Alice Cullen never gave much thought as to how she would die, but if she had any choice in the matter now, it would be for the one she loved.   
___________________________________

As Alice's hands and arms removed her blouse from her torso, she walked out into the baking sun, where all of the humans in town would see her shining skin. Aro and his brothers had thought she revealed her true nature to a human before. This fact had been false the first time around, but now it would be the truth. Now Aro would have no choice but to give her the final death she desperately needed. 

She took only two steps out in the sunlight from her place in the compounds' entrance. Two slow and heavy steps until she could feel the radiating heat off of her skin. Alice held out her arms and closed her eyes that only saw darkness and waited for the sparkling light that would soon occur. 

Taking another step, Alice felt a pair of arms close around her shoulders. She felt a pair of strong, warm hands wrap themselves in her hair. Her ears picked up a warm breath exhale from soft, plump, human lips. At first, the pixie didn’t dare believe that Bella was there shielding her; keeping her secret safe from others. 

Moments pass as the momentum of Bella's warm body made the two of them fall back into the shadows from whence Alice came. The two young women fell into the dark hallway that sheltered them from the harsh light of the sun. A thump sounded in the normally quiet corridor as Alice fell first, cradling her mate's body in her arms. Arms that not moments ago were ready to embrace death. 

A light, quiet sob echoed from Alice's lips as she kept her eyes closed. Not wanting to open them and find this whole thing is just a bad dream. Just another cruel joke that fate had in store for her. 

"Alice." Bella said sweetly cradling her mate's face in her hand. 

One arm was still wrapped around the pixie's tense and strong shoulders, but her free one cradled the soft cold cheek of the vampire beneath her. Speaking her name once again, Bella silently begged her to open her eyes. Pleaded for gold and bright green to connect once again. To look upon one another as if for the first time. 

"Alice, please open your eyes."

Bella knew that she wouldn’t see the golden color that she loved so much, but the dark onyx of a mourning and hungry vampire. Alice's eyelids raised up and she took in the sight of Bella's turquoise, comforting gaze once more. It was as if she were a human walking in the desert for days and coming upon a thriving oasis; filled with water and food. 

Alice imagined herself as that human, putting a handful of water to her lips and guzzling it down. Bella was her salvation, her oasis. For so long she had been without her. Not hearing her voice, or seeing her beautiful face. Not being able to do any of those things was torture for countless days. It drove her mad and now she was able to touch her, to feel her, to hear her mate once again. What could this be if not a dream?

"You're here." Alice said with bated breath.

"I'm here." Bella replied, eyes watery with happy tears. 

"You're alive." The pixie laughed out loud with pure unadulterated relief and surprise.

The vampire placed her cold hand on Bella's warm cheek and held it there for immeasurable seconds. To the two of them, they were in their own world. Seeing the bright green of her loves eyes once more, Alice couldn’t help but bring their lips together in sweet, passionate reunion. 

Two pairs of lips molded together in a kiss that would shatter any doubt of their love. As they kissed, Bella began to cry tears of joy. They streamed down her face, releasing the tension in her body that she held for months. Now she could be with Alice again. It was the only thing she had ever wanted. The pixie breathed in through her nose to take in her mate's natural scent. It was as if feeling her, touching her wasn’t enough; Alice had to breathe her in, drink in her aroma, taste everything that made Bella, Bella. 

The two vampires who were stationed by the doors of the compound, shut the wooden doors tightly and locked them. As the light from the outside faded, the two lovers broke the kiss that they shared. Bella breathed heavily through her mouth as she took in her surroundings. She didn’t want to be human anymore. She hated the need for oxygen when she was kissing her girlfriend, her mate, her entire reason. 

Alice couldn’t look away from the beautiful face in front of her. The pixie had only seen her in visions. In the waking dreams that felt all too real. Now she was here, in person, definitely not dead. Her perfect smooth skin was still warm to the touch, and Alice wanted nothing more than to keep touching it. 

Felix, who was the equivalent of Emmett's size in muscle and height, held out a hand for Bella to take. Seeing the red eyes above her gave the human pause; but the hulking vampire made no move to drink from her. There was another man next to him, picking up Alice's white blouse from the floor. The tiny Cullen stood up without any assistance and reached for Bella's hand once more. Any second not touching her mate, was a second waisted. Thrown into the ether of time and space, a second that she could never get back. 

Footsteps could be heard down the hallway, coming closer. They were small in size, belonging to the small blonde girl that Bella had seen entering the Cullen house all of those months ago. Frightened of the small blonde, Bella held on to Alice's arm as she stood beside her girlfriend. 

Jane smiled and held out a large red cloak for Alice to take and cover herself. After placing it upon her shoulders, the five of them heard a loud banging on the wooden doors behind them. Turning to see what the commotion was, Demetri went to open the door. Before he could reach the latch however, the busted open to reveal a certain blonde Denali girl. 

"Sorry I'm late; traffic was murder." Kate said with a wink, removing her big black sunglasses. 

She must have clinched them and that scarf she was wearing from a tourist shop, Bella and Alice both reasoned. 

Jane spoke up then apologetic for breaking up this moment between friends and loved ones. 

"Father sent me up to see what was taking so long."

It was past the Volturi guard's feeding time and Aro wanted to know where Felix and Demetri were before starting without them. Jane looked to the human girl with bright green eyes and took in the scent of her blood. She heard the strong heartbeat in the girls chest and clenched her fists tight. 

How could these 'vegetarians' stand to be beside her. Jane turned around and nodded her head for the two golden eyed vampires and their human to follow. Alice, dressed in the red cloak and Kate, who had just begun to take in the sight of her best friend, followed without any further instruction.

Bella held on to Alice's cold hand and walked next to her girlfriend with purpose. Walking down the long hallway to a set of stairs. They lead down to an elevator which all six of them entered with ease. Alice and Bella curled into each other and Kate clasped her hands in front of her, not wanting to cause any friction in the encased area. 

Once the ride down to the main compound was complete, Jane lead the small group to the throne room. A human stood up to greet them as they walked by. Bella looked at her confused. Why would they have a human in their employ if humans knowledge of vampires was forbidden? 

She asked Alice if the woman at the desk was indeed human. The pixie confirmed her suspicions. Going over the thought process in her head, Bella thought of many ways that the royals could go around this. Were they planning on making her a vampire like them? Or were they simply out for some of her blood? 

Bella didn’t ask any other questions after that, not wanting to overstep her bounds. As they all walked in to the throne room where the royals and their guard now waited, Aro got up from his chair and stood. 

"Well isn't this a surprise." He spoke calmly but the look in his eyes was clear. He was not happy. 

The teenager had never seen the Volturi lord except for in the portrait in Carlisle's office. She was amazed by his presence. It was overwhelming to say the least. The other two that sat beside him were equally surprised at the return of the small Cullen. Jane had been sent to retrieve her two brothers in arms, but she returned with three more than she bargained for. 

At the sight of the human thought to be dead, both Caius and Marcus leaned forward in their seats. The latter noticed how the two mates held each others hands so tightly, not wanting to let go. It reminded him of how he held on to his own wife Didyme before she was taken from him. Sadness echoed in his eyes as he looked upon the pair. 

"It seems that Bella is alive after all. Isn't that wonderful?" The question fluttered around the room, wafting around in every vampires ear. 

"I do love a happy ending." Aro stated as he held out his hand for Kate to take. He had already seen Alice's thoughts, memories, and visions. He couldn’t take anymore pain. The blonde did as she was requested and placed her hand in his. The thoughts and memories for Kate Denali swirled around in his mind for minutes on end. It had been a while since he had read one of the blondes. 

Their mother Sasha was a friend and a comrade to the Volturi. Very loyal and just to their cause to rid the world of the Romanian coven. She was a strong soldier, one that was sorely missed. Aro saw everything when it came to Kate. She had nothing to hide. The blonde wouldn’t hide anything from the lord; not even her mate. She saw the confusion in his gaze when he released her hand. 

The red eyes turned away from the firetouch and he made his way over to Bella. Concerned about the human in their ranks now, he wondered what made this one so special. She was Alice's mate yes, but did she have some sort of power over the vampires that she had associated with? Why was her hold on them so strong?

Aro held out his hand for Bella to now take. He smelled the blood coursing through her veins and gulped back the venom that welled in his mouth. 

"La Tua Cantante; her blood appeals to you so much." The lord said as he looked to the pixie for a brief moment. 

"I don’t know how you can stand to be around her."

"It is not without difficulty." Alice said finally admitting her innate desire to taste Bella's lifeblood.

She couldn’t read the minds of others but Aro's presence in front of Bella was unnerving to say the least. He and his brothers weren't monsters, but they still drank human blood. Would they lose control at the scent of blood so potent to them? Alice was hoping that wouldn’t be the case. 

Still, the ancient vampire was waiting for the warm human hand to enter his own. Bella looked into the dark eyes of her girlfriend and Alice only nodded. Aro needed to see into her thoughts. If her shield power blocked Edward's gift, would it block Aro's now?

The teenager hesitated for a moment before fully clasping on to the royals hand. Aro gasped at the warmth covering his hand and looked down, concentrating on his ability. Bella's mind was nothing but black to his internal gaze. For many moments, Aro saw nothing. He looked back up again with a bewildered look in his eye. 

"Interesting." He said before releasing his hold. 

"I see nothing."

At the confusion in her mates eyes, Alice explained.

"Aro can read every thought a human or vampire has ever had." 

Placing his hands in his pants pockets, he turned back to his throne and stood facing them. He wanted to see how far her gift would spread. Looking to Jane, the small blonde nodded slightly waiting for the order. Kate saw the exchange and went to defend Bella. 

Racing toward the witch twin, Kate was caught by another boy that was the other half. Alec grasped the blonde around the neck and held her gently, not wanting to hurt her. 

"Wait." Alec said as he looked to his twin sister who was currently using her power. 

As much as Jane concentrated her eyes on the human, she couldn’t get the girl to shriek out in pain. It was remarkable. When Jane and Alec were human, she couldn’t control her gift. When ever she got angry or scared, she only had to look at someone to send them into a frenzy of agony. The turquoise eyes looked into ruby red ones and were in a deadlock. 

The only sound that made Jane relent, was Aro's laugh. His surprise was felt by everyone in the room. His brothers and the rest of his guard were astonished by the humans' ability to block any supernatural attack. He clapped his hands at the show and walked down once more to the mated pair. 

"She is remarkable Alice." Aro said. 

"In all of my years on this earth, I have never met a human as intriguing as you. Isabella." 

Aro's Italian accent came through his voice then. He wanted to see how her ability would grow once she was made into an immortal like them. 

"I would assume you have plans to turn her into one of us." He stated knowingly. 

Alice didn’t want to think about changing her love now. She had been without Bella's warmth for so long, she needed to bask in it once again. She needed to become familiar with it again. There was a certain lull to the heartbeat in her mates chest cavity. It was a sweet lullaby that put her into such a relaxed state of mind, it almost felt like she could fall asleep to it. 

Aro picked up on the insensitivity of his question and motioned for Alec to release the Denali vampire. Kate went back over to her two friends and held them close, thankful for their safety. 

"As happy as I am to see you reunited with your mate Alice, I am just as angry about the events that had to take place." Aro said, pacing around the room. 

"I thought she was truly dead. I couldn’t imagine my place in the world without her." Alice said as she leaned her face into the crook of Bella's neck. 

Sulpicia was in the background. Watching the interaction between the two girls. It was the mirror image of she and Aro so many years ago. The love they shared, the grief at losing one another. It was more than any of them could bare. The lady of the house had no doubt in her mind that Alice would change Bella Swan into a vampire; and what an impressive immortal she would be.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a reason why this chapter is so long. Get ready for some family high jinks, followed by a healthy dose of lady smut. Granted it is my interpretation of vampire/human love making, and I could be totally off the mark, but again this is my interpretation of it. Hope ya'll enjoy 😉.

The next few days at the Cullen Villa were spent in the company of family. Alice had driven Bella to Rome and the two went and saw the sights. The vampire watched as her mate stared in wonder at the Colosseum and it was like Eros had pierced her heart with his arrow once again. They went shopping in the market for basic items that Bella would love to take home and show her friends and family. 

After the outing, Esme had cooked their human the most wonderful meal. Between the baked mac and cheese and the perfectly seasoned and rare cheese burger it was hard to say no. Bella had looked forward to so much when she was reunited with her chosen family. The Cullen's were everything to her, and being without them for even a second was unbearable. Those many months in the catatonic state she had put herself in was a thing of the past now. 

As she sat on the couch with Emmett, Bella waited for Alice to finish her hunt and come home to her. Much like any night spent in Forks it was merely a waiting game now. Bella didn’t have to worry if Alice was going to come back, she knew that the pixie would. Felt it in her heart and deep in her bones. The bond that Alice and Bella had shared now was like none other the human ever experienced. 

Emmett paused the game as he looked to the side of him. Watching Bella deep in thought, made him speak up. 

"I'm really glad you're safe and back with us Bella Bear." 

The giant smiled and gently wrapped a strong arm around his little sister's shoulders. Bella leaned into the hold and smiled. 

"I feel the same Em. You're like the big brother I never had." 

Now that she had thought about it, Bella really did think of Edward, Jasper, and Emmett as brothers. Big, scary brothers that would come running at the first sign of trouble. Hearing Edward cough in another part of the house, the teen has assumed that the other boy had heard her comment and was offended for not including him. 

Finding Edward in the kitchen, Bella snuck up on the telepath and launched herself on his back. The surprise he felt made his reaction that much more hilarious. 

"Ah!" He turned around with the human on his back. 

With her arms wrapped around his shoulders, he kept spinning around and kept trying to dislodge Bella from him. The teenager stuck her finger in her mouth for a second before releasing it and plunging it into his ear canal.

Feeling the wet digit in his ear, Edward finally grasped onto Bella's forearms and pried them gently off of his neck. He frantically wiped his ear and tried to get all of the saliva out of where it shouldn’t be. 

"What the hell, you little spider monkey?!" The Cullen boy dried his now slightly wet hand on his pant leg. 

"Gods that is so gross." He complained as Bella and Emmett began laughing at his displeasure. 

"Oh Edward, I just wanted to make you feel included." 

Emmett slapped his thigh at the antics of his sisters mate and his brother. Edward's reaction would be forever scarred on his mind forever. The telepath in question then tried to reach for Bella for some revenge, but at his human pace, the girl got out of his path. Bella out of the kitchen and into the family room where Emmett was still laughing. The tears were welling in his eyes as he couldn’t help but laugh at the display of sibling affection. 

Esme entered the house from outside. She had just returned from the market in Volterra and her bounty was heavy. Hearing Bella squeal with laughter, she quickly dropped her purchases on the free counter and raced with her son and daughter. 

The mother figure had to admit, Bella brought joy to this family and when they had been separated it was like a part of their family was missing. The young teenager was that missing piece to their already large family. 

"Mom, help!" Bella cried as Edward continued to chase her at a human pace. 

The title slipped so easily from warm soft lips. It surprised both Esme and Bella to hear the whimsical, musical voice, but it wasn’t unwanted. Edward caught Bella gently around the wrist and brought her under his arm. His cold white knuckles scraped against the top of her head giving her a noogie in exchange for what she had done to him moments earlier. 

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, you let your sister go right now." Esme said as she came upon the pair in the den.

Seeing the fierce protective look in his mothers golden eyes, Edward let go of Bella moments later; throwing up his hands in surrender. The girl ran to Esme and wrapped her arms around her waist. Much like a tiny child; but Bella was so much more than that. 

"Hey, she started it." Edward spoke accusingly.

Both women rolled her eyes at his words and went back into the main part of the house. Alice and Jasper and some of the others from the Denali coven all went hunting for their trip back to the states. As much as Bella was excited to go back, she knew that she would miss this beautiful country. It was hard to leave it behind. 

Just as the teenager sat down on the plush couch next to Emmett, the sliding glass door to the kitchen opened up. Alice and the others had left out that door and they stepped through it again, filing in one after the other. Carlisle was first, then Eleazar, then Jasper, and the three sisters followed him. Then lastly Alice strode in with not a care in the world. The golden shade in the pixie's eyes reminded her of the Golden Fleece. Alice's eyes shined as the fleece shined in the sunlight; waiting for the hero, Jason, to peel it from the oak branch. 

All of a sudden, Bella had this sudden need for her girlfriend-for her mate. She got up from the leather couch once more and strode confidently to where Alice now stood. The pixie didn’t notice her yet as she was talking to Esme, telling her of the great hunt she and the rest of the vampires had. In a sort of daze, Bella reached out and took the pale, cool hand in her own and pulled Alice away from Esme and up the stairs to her room. 

Bella could hear Alice's sing-song voice in her ear, asking her what was wrong; asking her if she was alright. The teen was more than alright, more than fine. She just had this hunger in her that wouldn’t be sated by food or drink; only Alice could give her what she now craved. 

_________________________________

Alice had no idea what was going on in Bella's mind as she dragged her up the stairs, but when Bella slammed the door behind then and her back connected with the hard wood, it was clear. The pixie thanked the gods that the villa was sound-proofed, and as she looked in Bella's bright dilated eyes it only took a moment for Alice to feel her mates lips upon her own. 

They were warm and soft, much like the rest of her. They were also very insistent. Alice sighed into the kiss as their lips danced with one another. Feeling the plump skin, was enough to send her into a frenzy of desire. The seer kept her hands gently on Bella's waist as the humans tongue swiped her lower lip. Alice moaned and her eyes rolled in the back of her head. 

Bella's muscle swirled with her own, synchronized in their passion. It wasn’t long until Alice felt the primal need to take her mate. The pixie's throat began to rumble with a purring noise that could only be described as that of a cat. Bella's tongue made contact with her gum. The place where her fangs hid, where they tucked themselves after a feeding. At the sensation Alice moaned deep, the sound swallowed by the lips on hers. 

She could feel Bella breathing through her nose; desperate for air, but not wanting to break the connection they shared. Alice placed her hands on the front of the girl's shoulders, wanting her mate to breathe deeply. She didn’t want her lover to pass out before they even got started. 

Taking the warm hand that was encased around hers moments ago, Alice took Bella over to the bed. Both brunettes sat on the bed while Bella breathed heavily with a passion that began to frighten her. She knew nothing in the ways of love making. Bella was a virgin; she became nervous and wrung her hands together trying to calm herself. Alice knew the emotion running through her human now because she was now feeling the same. Nervousness and worry now coursed through her heart and her mind. 

In her time, even thinking about kissing a woman would be unthinkable, but here Alice was imagining what Bella's bare skin would feel like underneath her. She imagined the sounds Bella would make if she kissed her everywhere her clothing covered. Alice was also a virgin, she had never made love to another human being or vampire let alone a woman. She was glad that Bella would be her first though. 

As the feelings of love and devotion overpowered the negativity and uncertainty, Alice once again weaved her fingers through Bella's and brought the warm hand to her lips. Kissing the back of it, she watched as the tension began to leave her mates body. Bella's shoulders sagged with relief as the burnt caramel met darkened hazel. 

The colors that weaved in Bella's eyes were fascinating to Alice. The turquoise from her mother and the brown from her father all darkened with passion and want. It was intoxicating and Alice wanted to see more, to feel more, to hear more. She wanted all of her senses to go into overdrive with Bella; nothing but Bella. 

It was Alice's turn to go in for the kiss. Now urged by her need for Bella, their lips connected again as if they were separated for a millennia. The teens breathed through their noses; Alice, for the pure unadulterated scent of Bella Swan, and Bella for air, not wanting to separate ever again. 

A few moments at Bella's mouth brought Alice over her mates jawline and down to her neck. Bella leaned her head to the side so that her girlfriend could have more coverage over her skin. The pulse point in Bella's neck was beating erratically. It was indeed a siren song for Alice but it was one that she could resist, for now. 

Hearing Bella moan threw her into a state of euphoria. It was like the tiny Cullen had found the answer to everything in the universe. Her cold hand went to the waist band of Bella's newly acquired jeans. The shirt that her human wore was also new, a certain new wardrobe was bought to enhance Bella's beauty. The fashion of the Italian people was nothing to scoff at. Alice brought her hand up beneath the silk shirt and towards the underside of Bella's breasts that were covered by pure white lace. 

Bella threw her head back at feeling Alice's hands on her overheated skin. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. Instead of cooling her off, Alice's touch set her aflame like nothing ever had. She wove her lithe fingers through her girlfriends' soft, silky hair. The tips of it tickled her palms, but nothing could make her lose focus of the cold, incredibly soft lips upon her skin, nor the hand under her shirt. 

Feeling constricted, the human leaned away from Alice's hand and mouth to unwrap herself from her cloth bindings. Golden eyes followed her hands every move. Her fingers tugged at the collar of her shirt, peeling it off of her and throwing it to the side. It was now forgotten as Alice sighed low in her throat and kissed Bella once more. Leaning her lover back onto the bed, Bella gasped at the feeling of cold sheets underneath her back. 

Alice looked upon the beauty beneath her and thought that not even Aphrodite herself could hold a candle to Bella. Her chestnut brown hair formed a sort of fan on the pillow under her head. Her eyes dilated with a wanting, with a stifling need that left Alice wrapped around Bella's finger. Her pale, smooth, warm skin trembled with anticipation as Alice's golden eyes sized her up and down. 

The vampire took her hand and placed it on Bella's abdomen. Watching with heavy lidded eyes as it made its way up her stomach and over her covered breasts, Alice wove it around Bella's neck to bring her up for another bruising kiss. It didn’t take long for Bella to want Alice in the same state of undress and haphazardly tugged at the blouse that her mate wore. Much like everything in the pixie's wardrobe it was soft to the touch, made from the finest fabric known to man kind. Alice all but ripped it off of her and threw it so far that it latched itself on the doorknob. 

Now both of these young women were clothed in nothing but their underwear and pants. Bella's jeans were the first to go, and as Alice was fumbling with the button of her slacks, she rolled their bodies over and their positions were switched. 

Bella wrapped her hands around Alice's waist, her thumbs pressed into her muscles and felt the exact definition. The warmth that she felt in her grew even more. Bella felt moisture in her core and knew that she was aroused. She slid her hold up Alice's body and to her silk covered breasts. She held them in her hands feeling the light weight of them. 

Alice tossed her head back further into the pillow, gasping as her lover molded her breasts experimentally. Bella's touch was sure, but soft and innocent. She couldn’t take much more of this torture and leaned up to kiss her mate. Using this to her advantage, Bella reached around Alice's torso and found the clasp to her bra. Deft fingers unclasped it and as Alice dropped her arms to her sides, the straps and material fell with them. The bra fell on its own with a slowness that was agonizing to say the least. 

Bella took in the sight of Alice bare from the waist up. She began to drool a little as the snow white skin was calling to her. Pale, pillow soft breasts tipped with slightly tanned areolas, and finally the rosy peaked nipples. Bella licked her lips at the thought of tasting them. She leaned forward again and took a hard nipple into her mouth. Alice mewled above her calling her name. 

"Bella. That feels so good." 

The human rolled the nipple around with her tongue. Toying with it; keeping it at its peak as her free hand undid the button to her slacks. 

The sounds coming from Alice's lips were enough to keep her going. Bella released the nipple with a 'pop' and kissed the plump flesh that surrounded it. Her now free hand came up to mold itself to the other breast, not wanting to make it feel left out. With each kiss from Bella's lips, her fingers and palm massaged. Alice didn’t know how to react to something that felt so good. 

The only thing that she could do was moan out-loud and wrap her hands around Bella's strong shoulders. It surprised the tiny Cullen that her mate would be so sure and so confidant in her touches; but then again, everything about her human surprised her. Alice enjoyed the attention immensely and the moisture that pooled in her panties was proof of that. She gasped at the warmth of her arousal. How was this possible? Alice asked herself. 

The question didn’t linger long however, as Bella switched the attention of her mouth to her other breast. Still, Bella's warm moist lips sent her hips rising and falling. Every lick, every suck on her nipples, every love bite on her skin was enough to please her for centuries. As Bella's hand moved south however, Alice found that she wanted her mate there now as well. She needed her at her center. 

Bella leaned up and away from the perfection that was Alice's chest and moved down her body. She kissed each centimeter of bare skin as she descended. When her lips caught the waistband of her lovers pants she looked up into the now almost black eyes above her. Bella smiled as she took the zipper in her fingers; lowering it inch by inch, never looking away from Alice's eyes. The dark chasms now threatening to engulf her, made her burn for more of Alice. Reaching up, Bella and Alice held each other's hands for a brief moment.

"I love you Alice." Bella said with a watery gaze.

"I love you too."

Alice said with bated breath. 

Bella grasped the waistband of Alice's pants and her panties and slowly removed them. Each second more and more skin was revealed to her. The defined hip bones, muscular thighs, strong calves, they all begged for Bella's attention. The muscles and skin screamed for Bella's lips and tongue. The human then felt the tension in the fabric give way as it was removed completely. She held the garment in her hands for a brief moment as she looked upon the now naked Alice Cullen. 

Bella forgot how to breathe. It was like Alice was the goddess Athena reborn. The purity of her, the unblemished skin almost like a precious metal, reminiscent of the statue in Athens. The heaping golden statue towering over her people, guiding them, protecting them, leading them. 

"You're so beautiful." Bella said as an overwhelming tear passed her eye. 

Even in her passion, Alice could see the tear and she leaned up grasping Bella's face gently in her palms. 

"We can stop if you want Bella. It's ok." 

Shaking her head from side to side, Bella began to explain.

"It's not that. I want to worship you Alice. You're so perfect and beautiful, it's just overwhelming sometimes." She took a deep calming breath.

"It's like you're a goddess of your own making."

A few seconds pass.

"I don’t know how or even why you chose me as your mate but-"

Alice put a finger to Bella's lips silencing her self berating words.

"I didn’t chose you Bella. Fate chose us. You were never a choice, you were always my destiny; my present, my future, my heart, and my soul." 

A soft loving kiss.

"You are all of that and more, my love. You are my everything."

The two girls breathed in each other for a few moments before Alice's soft musical voice rang out.

"I want to see you Bella. All of you."

Without another word, Bella stands up from the bed and Alice instantly misses her warmth. As Bella reaches around herself to unclasp her bra, all thought goes out of the window. Green never leaves Amber as the bra falls to the floor, followed by the rough denim jeans and boy-shorts. 

A click sounds throughout the room and Alice reaches up to find her fangs extended to a point. She makes a move to cover them but Bella is there in a second to stop her. 

"Never hide any part of you from me." 

She says it with such authority as she lays with Alice again on the bed. Bella makes quick work revving her vampire up again with passion. Kissing her lips, neck, collar bone, breasts, any and all skin she could find, Bella finally returns to the apex of Alice's supple thighs. Kneeling upward, she places Alice's right foot over her shoulder. Kissing her ankle, calf, and thigh, slowly, almost agonizingly so, Bella revels in each twitch of the cold, soft skin. 

Alice can't take her eyes off of her mate. The pure seduction pouring out of her now was like something out of a fairy tale. An X rated one but a fairy tale none the less. When Bella's face reaches Alice's center, she finds it to be warm, so much unlike the rest of her. Its odd, but also endearing. 

Bella puckers her lips and blows onto the hot, moist pussy below her mouth and Alice arches her back. Taught like a bow string, Alice reaches up into the pillow case and grips it for dear life. Her eyes begin to water and her body begins to shake with anticipation, but when those lips begin to kiss her and mold against her, Alice knows that she needs to control her hip movements. It takes everything in her to hold back as Bella moves her lips across her. 

Bella then brings up a hand to touch the warm wet folds of her lover. Shocked at this revelation, she says.

"You're so wet Ali."

Alice cries out, feeling Bella's warm fingers at her entrance. She moans so loudly that she thinks that it could waft out of the room, sound-proofing be damned. 

Slowly, Bella pushes a finger into Alice's warm cavern. It's a certain tightness that hugs the digit firmly. Wetness surrounds it and covers it that Bella wonders what it tastes like. Pulling her finger out again, Bella brings it to her lips and takes it into her mouth. 

She's surprised by what Alice tastes like. The pixie tastes like wine, musky and flavorful. Bella remembers trying it as a kid and never really liking it. Alice's arousal profile is hard to describe, but Bella wants more and more of it with each passing second. Laying down fully, Bella raises Alice's legs and places both on her shoulders before leaning her head down and licking the length of her mates slit.

"Oh my god, Bella. Please-" Alice couldn’t quite find the words as they lodged themselves in her throat. 

The human then pressed the pad of her thumb on the hard nub just above Alice's opening. Her mates hips had a mind of their own as they raised and lowered, trying to gain some marvelous friction. 

"Please what?" Bella asked as her fingers ran down Alice's lower lips. 

"I need you. Inside-again." Alice choked out. 

The moans between words made Bella smile and she happily obliged her lover. Pushing two fingers inside that gloriously wet pussy, she moved them in and out of Alice's magnificent body. Breathing in the scent of her girlfriend's sex, she leaned down again and licked the hard nub above where her fingers were. Alice's body arched pushing her clit even harder against Bella's tongue. 

Moaning as she did so, she begged Bella for more. Alice didn’t know what she was asking for but she knew that she needed more of her mate. Bella flicked her tongue across her clit; up and down, side to side. It was driving the seer mad with desire. She could feel her arousal pooling against her lovers chin and chanced a glance down. The dark chestnut crown of hair met her gaze and a hungry sigh echoed from Bella's lips. 

The vibration from her mouth made Alice's head lean back further into the pillow underneath her. She gripped the sheets in her strong pale hands keeping them content where they laid. Bella concentrated her movements, both tongue and fingers. She was shocked to see and feel the reactions coming from Alice. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that she would bring such a magnificent creature to beg for her. 

The wetness that gathered around her fingers and pooled in her hand was proof enough that Alice desired her, that she needed her, craved her even. Her turquoise eyes looked above her to see her girlfriend plastered against the pillow, desperately hanging on and letting the passion course through her. Bella added a third finger into Alice and curled them to find a sort of squishy skin inside. 

Alice let out a mix of a growl, purr, and a moan at the same time. Her eyes opened wide as Bella kept curling her fingers against her g-spot. Her inner walls began to tighten around Bella's fingers and for some reason, she knew that she was close to release. 

"Bella-I'm gonna…" She moaned out again and again as her lover pumped her fingers inside of her. 

Knowing what to do now, Bella completely removed her hand and replaced her fingers with her tongue. Plunging it deep into Alice to get the sweet, surprisingly warm ambrosia inside. Raising herself into a kneeling position on the bed, Bella opened her sex hazed eyes and looked down at Alice. It was like looking down at the most beautiful, aroused creature in the universe, and Bella was the only one to watch her come completely undone. 

Alice's eyes closed briefly and she all but screamed Bella's name as her essence gushed out of her. Bella's mouth movements were enough to bring the very world to its knees. 

"Oh my Gods, Bella!!" She moaned loudly as she came on to her mates chin and chest. 

Feeling her inner liquid pour out of her was humbling, not ever feeling this sort of thing before. Sure, Emmett and Rosalie bragged all of the time about their glorious sex life but at the time, Alice had nothing to compare it to. Honestly she had no idea what they were talking about. She wasn’t naïve though, not in the slightest. She knew what was happening behind closed doors, and as she heard the grunts and moans from the people behind those barriers, Alice often made herself scarce.

It took a few moments for Alice to ride her orgasm out completely. It shook her entire body, left her a quivering mess upon the plush mattress. Of course her family had it replaced when she and Bella returned from the Volturi compound. Bella held her shaking thighs for a little longer, kissing the hard clit beneath her lips. Alice gasped at the sensitivity. 

Bella then leaned back and kissed the supple toned thighs before kissing her way back up to Alice's lips. 

"Wow." Alice sighed as she curled herself into Bella's not sweating body. 

It was even warmer than usual as she gained her thought process back. 

"That good, huh?" Bella chuckled out and held Alice to her. 

She wrapped her arms around her pixie's shaking shoulders and held her for many moments, really wondering if she should bother her mate with her own desire now seeping out of her. Before any words were spoken though, Alice breathed deeply through her nose, picking up the scent of her arousal and Bella's as well. 

Using a gentle but somewhat forceful touch, Alice grasped Bella's wrists and rolled her onto her back. Her eyes grew dark as the thought about what she was going to do to her girlfriend now. Bella's hot and sweaty back made contact with the cool sheets and she gasped at the feeling of them. The coolness of the sheets mixed with Alice's icy touch was enough to send her into a fiery frenzy. The seers darkening eyes did nothing to deter that feeling in the slightest. 

"Now it's your turn, my sweet." Alice said as her fangs clicked out.

Bella kept her hands above her head as the vampire kissed her lips. She missed the feeling of Alice's lips against her own and as the sharp fang scraped against her bottom lip, Bella gasped out a moan and let the pixie's tongue inside her mouth. She sucked on the wiggling member drawing out shivers from the woman above her. After Bella released Alice's tongue, the vampire moved her kisses down to Bella's jawline. It was so strong, so smooth, so alluring; much like the rest of her was. 

Making sure not to coat her fangs with the venom in her system, Alice scraped her sharp teeth on the skin of Bella's neck. Bella's body writhed beneath her, giving her a confidence that she rarely ever felt. She knew that her human wanted more of her touch, more of her attention. Bella's hands flew to her lovers hair for a moment before Alice moved down to her chest. 

Bella's breasts were slightly larger than Alice's but the pixie didn’t mind that one bit. The slight gentle weight she felt in her hands was endearing. Bella blushed and tried to hide her face from the vampire but Alice wasn’t having any of that.

"Oh Bella, don’t fret darling. You're more beautiful than you can imagine." Alice placed a cool hand on Bella's overheated cheek. 

Leaning down and giving Bella's breasts the same attention that she had given hers was a gift. With a skin tone only slightly darker than her own, smooth, firm breasts made the pixie Cullen salivate. Alice placed a cold teasing kiss on one nipple before going to the other side and doing the same. 

Bella whined at the light touch, wanting something firmer. Alice obliged her seconds later as her tongue wrapped around her nipple. It was a thorough and firm lick around each pebbled tip. Bella moaned deep in her throat as her hands weaved through Alice's short hair; keeping her against her chest. In truth, the pixie had no desire to leave her spot just yet, but her hands grew restless. Smoothing themselves up and down Bella's waistline and up toward the underside of her breasts. 

The cool touch on her hot skin made Bella writhe with pleasure. It was evident enough feeling the moisture between her legs. Alice used her hips to separate her lovers legs and settled herself in between them. Feeling the warm liquid against her smooth, taught stomach was enough to send her body into another need for her mate. Bella sensed this as Alice looked up at her with heavy lidded eyes. 

Bella picked up Alice's leg and settled it over her thigh. The desire made itself known against her and she bit her lip. Bella then moved Alice's hand down to where her essence was now flooding out of her. 

"Please touch me, Alice."

She begged her girlfriend. At first Alice was hesitant, she didn’t want to hurt Bella with her strength; but there was that underlying need to feel her mate from the inside. To be one with her like they had been moments before when Bella was inside of her. Alice remembered the moaning, shaking, quivering mess that Bella had reduced her to and she wanted the same reaction for her own memories. 

Bella tightened her thigh against Alice's wet walls and braced herself for what would come next. 

Softly, slowly, gently, Alice entered her with two fingers. It was tight at first, slightly uncomfortable for Bella, and her face showed it. 

"Are you ok?" The pixie asked worriedly. 

Bella nodded and responded with.

"Yeah, I just need a moment." 

Alice was in a haze as she felt her girlfriends' warm inner walls. Not moving for a moment for Bella to get acclimated with her touch, she watched as her face relaxed. It fell from tense and slightly pained to aroused once more. Bella leaned up and kissed Alice on the mouth, feeling the cool soft lips against her own. The human moved her hands up and around Alice's waist as the pixie began to move her hips against Bella's thigh. 

Feeling Alice's returned arousal made her feel on cloud nine. Breathing in through her nose to take in the oxygen needed, Bella nodded her head for Alice to move inside of her. The pixie began slowly, moving in and out of her at a snails pace, hoping not to hurt her further. When Bella moved her kisses down to her neck and shoulders however, she picked up speed. It was a human pace, almost like a military cadence. 

In

Out

In, out

In

It was comfortable to acclimate to and Bella was becoming wetter by the second. Her human moaned against her cool skin as she kissed her strong shoulder and Alice ground herself firmly against the thigh beneath her. 

Her clit rubbed against the warm skin of her mate and Alice once again found that she wouldn’t last much longer. She picked up a faster pace with her fingers and Bella couldn’t do much except lean her sweaty forehead against Alice's chest. 

The pillow soft breasts beneath her head, comforted her as Alice's fingers found her g-spot. 

"Damned vampire, learning so quickly." Bella thought as her mate wiggled her fingers inside of her. 

Gripping at Alice's back, she moaned loudly, almost screaming her name.

"Alice!" Her walls tightened around the pixie's fingers. 

Bella moved her hips in time with Alice's thrusts and Bella fell back onto the bed once more as one more deep thrust came into her. 

The human gripped onto Alice's hips and guided her against her thigh wanting to cum with her love. 

"Fuck. Cum with me baby."

The curse word that fell from Bella's mouth surprised her but the pet name and the request made Alice shiver one last time and let go. Her mates body tensed once more before releasing. The liquid saturating her fingers and hand. 

Alice fell onto her lover and kept her fingers inside of Bella for a few brief moments just burning the feeling of her into her mind. As she removed herself from her, Alice brought her fingers up to her mouth, licking them clean. 

"Gods damn, Ali." The human uttered the words. 

Alice's golden eyes darkened slightly, but she held herself back from taking her girlfriend again at the sight of her yawn. Bella really did try to hold in the unintentional movement, but with everything that had happened in the past couple of days, she really needed a rest. 

"I can go again, promise. Don’t look at me like that." 

Bella's eyelids drooped and Alice couldn’t help but giggle. It was true that her mate needed sleep, and if that was what Bella needed, the pixie would surely provide. There would be plenty of time for much more love making in the future.

The future. 

There was something that Alice hadn't hoped for in a long time, it seemed; but now there was an abundance of hope. To see where everything would go from here. The tiny Cullen couldn’t wait to find out where the coming days would bring her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, I feel like I need a cigarette and I don't even smoke. Lol. I was really pleased with how this chapter turned out at the end of the day. Since Bella and Alice are still virgins, I really wanted to portray that hesitation with the 'first time' trope, but also the desire and need that they have felt for one another for some time. So thanks for reading guys. Hope none of you minded a little Lady Loving time. Gonna get back to Forks in the next chapter though. We'll see what Rachel and the pack has been up to since Bella left with Kate.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, I know that I promised a chapter back in Forks, but I felt that Rosalie and Bella's heart to heart conversation should happen sooner rather than later. I wanted to include a trigger warning for the assault scene as we delve further into Rose's past. It will be in her POV. P.S. Royce King II got exactly what he deserved.

The flight home from Volterra was a silent one. It wasn’t uncomfortable but everyone was either reading, snuggling, or playing chess on the airplane. It was a private jet provided by Aro and his brothers; another apology gift for his poor manners and hospitality. Bella and Alice sat next to each other of course, smiling at one another, still reveling in the love-making that happened the night before. Jasper, Edward, Emmett and Laurent were playing a game of poker. The larger of the four had a terrible poker face and lost all of his chips almost instantly. Edward didn’t use his gift as the card game went on, just to make it a little fairer for the others in attendance.

After Emmett had lost his hand, he went back over to Rosalie to just decompress. He laid back with his head on his lap, while the beauty queen smoothed her fingers through his hair. Bella watched the couple for a brief moment and smiled at the display before turning her attention back to Alice. Tanya and Irina were wondering what kind of training they could implement for the group upon their return. Victoria was still out there somewhere, they needed to be ready. Kate was fiddling with her newly acquired phone. Before the flight, she had asked Bella for Rachel's telephone number. Even with airplane mode on the Quileute and the vampire kept tabs on one another. Rachel told her imprint everything that had been going on in her heart and in her mind since she and Bella left for Italy.

Rachel told the blonde her worries, her doubts, her hopes. They shared everything, no detail was left hidden. Kate was eager to get back, that point was clear. So was Bella, in her own way. She missed her father, her friends, her hometown. With spring break over and done, it was time for Bella to concentrate on her studies if she wanted to graduate on time. Looking down at her and Alice's interlocked hands, Bella knew that she had so much to look forward to now after high school. Her change into a vampire being one of them.

It was as if Rosalie had read her mind in that instant. The blonde had risen from her seat and walked up to Bella asking if she could have a word with the human. Alice was unsure if she should let her mate go with her sister, but the look in Bella's eyes gave her strength to do so. Bella gave her pixie a gentle, chaste, but warm kiss on the lips before heading off with Rosalie.

They sat near the door to the cockpit. Across from where Carlisle and Esme were sitting with Carmen and Eleazar. The four of them were talking about certain renovations that could be made to their home when they returned. Carlisle smiled at his wife's excitement and let her drone on about her next project.

"What's up Rosalie?" Bella asked. Truly wondering why the icy blonde had ushered her here.

Rose took a minute to find the words that she needed to say. Thankfully Bella had let her collect her thoughts before interrupting.

"I'm really glad that you're okay Bella." She said softly before pausing.

"I know that we haven't had the closest relationship and I know that I've been downright cold and awful to you in the past; but I want you to know that I don’t hate you Bella. In fact I envy you." Rosalie finished with a heavy sigh.

Bella's eyes widened at the revelation from the vampire. She envied her? Why in gods name would she feel that way? Bella wondered.

"Why?" She asked the single word question.

It flew over the plane like a heaviness that Rosalie felt deep in her chest. Taking a deep comforting breath, she decided to start at the beginning; from when she had been human.  
_______________________________________

_I was born in the city of Rochester in New York. The year was 1915; it was a simpler time. One where women knew their role in the world. We were meant to grow up wanting everything from dolls and dresses, to the most wonderful attractive and attentive husband. My human life was perfect. I was spoiled by my father who was a banker at the time. He bought me everything I wanted and I became the talk of the town. Women envied me and men wanted to date me, wanted to lay with me._

_My beauty and grace brought the attention of a man named Royce King II. He worked with my father at the bank. He was an attractive man, sent me so many flowers, gave me so many compliments; told me my eyes looked like violets. I was naïve in my youth, thought that every successful relationship relied on attraction. I believed that status was the only thing that was important._

_Royce was always busy at the bank, always working from sun up to sundown. We never really spent any time together, but he asked me to marry him one day and I jumped at the chance. The only thing I wanted in life was to be a caring wife and loving mother. That's what my mother and father raised me to be. Having no doubts in my mind at the time, I looked forward to our wedding day._

_A week before my wedding, I went to an old friends' house. She was married and had a child. She had a family. I was so envious of her as I looked at that little boys face. He was just a baby, so soft and innocent. My feelings of inadequacy only deepened when her husband came home from work. My friend welcomed her love at the front door and kissed him deeply. I could literally feel the love just radiating off of them. I was so confused. The affection that they had for one another was inspiring; and yet Royce and I didn’t have an ounce of what Vera and her husband had for each other._

_It grew darker as the minutes, turned hours, of conversation slipped by. I looked at the clock on their wall and was shocked to see how much time had passed. Vera had asked me if I wanted to stay in their guest bedroom for the night, but like the idiot I was, I turned her down. Told her that I had to be home to prepare for my wedding._

_On the walk home I began to think about what my relationship with Royce was really about. Flashes of loving words and passionate touches rang through my head. It was a stark contrast to my relationship with my fiancé. I walked further along the street and found the man I was about to marry stumble out of a bar. He was drunk, even without my enhanced sense of smell I could breathe in the alcohol scent without even trying. It made me sick to my stomach, but that was nothing compared to what I was about to experience._

_Royce saw me and called out to his friends that had taken him to the lounge that night. They all staggered out and saw me. With my dress exquisite, my hair and make-up done to the nines, they all watched as I began to squirm under their gaze. The looks they were giving me were unnerving to say the least. Then Royce grabbed me around the wrist and dragged be towards him. The sloppy kiss and heaving breath I could barely stand. What drew my fear even further was the tented groin in his pants. I didn’t know if my wide eyes made my fiancé think that I was aroused or if he could feel my fear. The only thing he actually cared about at the time was his release and his alone._

_As he dragged me to an alley-way not far from the entrance to the bar, Royce did nothing but brag about my goddess like beauty. He just hooted and hollered to his friends that were listening with great intent. Their eyes ran over my body like I was a piece of hulking meat from the butcher. I screamed as he slammed me against the brick wall of the alley. The stink of bile and trash did nothing to quench the terrifying gut feeling I had in my chest._

_He kissed me roughly and slapped me across the face. I was shocked at first when I felt the hard sting of his hand. Tearing off my dress, he had his way with me again and again. It wasn’t with the soft caring touch of a lover, no. It was rough and hard and it tore me literally from the inside out. It didn’t take long for him to peak and release inside of my virgin body, but after he was done, he threw me to his friends._

_I was so scared for what they were going to do to me and rightfully so. One of them had a knife and cut me so deep, that the blood-loss from the cut would've killed me. After the four of them were done with me, Royce threw me out onto the dark, cold, wet street. I was still bleeding from both the cut and from the sexual assault._

_I don’t know if it was the grace of God that drove Carlisle my way or a curse; for I was dying in the street. My blood drove him to me, but so did the sound of my tears. Carlisle knew that I was hurt bad and that I didn’t have much time left. He looked to make sure that no one was around before he picked my now feeble, trembling body out of the street and into a warm, safe room. I had no idea where I was, only that a beautiful blonde man and his companion were watching over me._

_Esme looked as if her tears could fall at any moment as she looked at my body, all cut up and broken. I was in so much pain. If anything the piercing vampire teeth made it even worse. The fire coursing through my body when Carlisle changed me was indescribable. It made all of my joints ache and my heart beat like a wild stallion. I could barely catch my breath as my heart beat its last. I was terrified of what would happen now._

_The moment my eyes opened to the world I had never seen, I remembered everything that happened to me. I remembered how my once loving fiancé, used me, raped me and threw me to his friends who did the same. I was a newborn and had a strength that only newborns had. I was stronger than Carlisle, stronger than Edward and Esme. They were fighting about who I would become to Edward in later days._

_He wanted me and Edward to be like him and Esme. Could you imagine? Me as Edward's mate. Bleh. Sure he has a thing for blondes, but there is a broodiness to him that I think Tanya can barely tolerate. Amidst the arguing, I took my chance to seek out the man that had hurt me so badly. The man that had left me in the street to die._

_First, I went to my house and put on my wedding gown. It was only fair that the man I was going to marry see me in it. My vanity got the better of me also. I looked damn good in that dress. I picked up Royce's scent not much longer after. I followed him and the friends that took me after, to his large house. I could hear them in there, cheering for Royce and how he would have a wonderful, beautiful and submissive wife. They drank more. The whiskey was strong on the air; you didn’t have to be a vampire to understand that._

_A record was played and they danced and were merry. It was like a fucking Bachelor party. The rage within me made me shake, but so did the scent of their blood. In my blood induced haze, I ran up to the room they were staying in and bit into a free neck. I knew it wasn’t Royce's because I heard his horrified scream from another part in the room. I could feel the human blood gushing into my mouth, it was like tasting the most delicious sweets or cake for the first time. I wanted more. When the first victim fell limp on the carpet floor I looked down at my white wedding gown and saw it covered in blood. I was furious._

_Turning my red eyes to Royce, I yelled at him._

_"Look what you made me do, dear. I made a mess of myself." I hissed in his direction and the coward took off running, leaving his remaining friends behind._

_Not bothering with the sorry excuse for a man-at the moment-I turned my attention to the man with the knife from before. His hand was shaking as he held the blade. I laughed as he threw a wild slash in my direction. With my speed I dodged it easily. He tried to jab me again, I caught his hand in my own and twisted it. The bone was broken and it pierced through his skin. With his wrist now broken and mangled, he dropped the knife onto the ground but before it could reach its destination I grabbed it and stabbed him in the throat. His screams were silenced as I bit into the free side of his neck._

_Two more remained._

_I took my time torturing them and mutilating them like they had done to me. Then I fed on them and gave them the sweet release of death._

_Only Royce remained after that. He locked himself in a vault room. It was like a panic room back in the day. Two guards stood watch and both were shocked at the sight of me. It didn’t take long for me to dispatch them. I wasn’t full on blood though so I drank._

_The burning in my throat still hadn't subsided by the time I wrenched the vault door from its hinges. I looked at my hands as my fiancé cowered in the corner by his precious bars of gold. He was shaking with fear. The foul stench coming from him told me that he defecated in his trousers. That still didn’t deter me as I walked closer to him with only one thought on my mind. His blood, his death. Vengeance screamed in my ear._

_I literally tore his throat out with my teeth. I plunged my fist through his chest so hard and so fast, that I made a hole in his ribs. I took his heart in my cold hand and pulled it from him. As I looked at it, I wondered if he felt anything for me at all. It beat a few final times and it pumped what blood it cold out of the arteries. It was like something out of a horror movie._

_Placing one of the quivering tubes in my lips, I just drank from it like a cocktail._

_After I was done with that place, I found a box of matches on Royce's desk and set the whole house aflame._

_It wasn’t until I had returned to Carlisle and his small family that I learned the extent of my transformation. I wanted to cry as both Carlisle and Esme told me that I couldn’t have children. My organs had shut down; I didn’t need food or water to sustain me, only blood. So everything that came with the immortality, the beauty, the strength and speed, it all asked for a simple yet heavy price. Your humanity._  
__________________________

"All I wanted was a family Bella. To be pregnant and raise a little one of my own. It was a hard truth to swallow at first. Hell, it still is; but I have come to grips with what I am, with what my body can take and what it is unable to do." Rosalie leaned her chin on her folded hands.

"My only concern is that you don’t regret it as I have. My only fear is that you will come to resent my family for the choices that were taken from you upon the change."

There was minutes of silence that passed by then. Murmurs had quieted down and everyone seemed to be either listening intently or lost in the thought of their own transformation. Bella took every word that Rosalie said to her and really understood her now.

"Can I come and hug you, please?"

Tears welled up in both copper and green as the story had went on. One set of them were unable to fall, but Bella held hers in respect. Rosalie thought about receiving a hug from Bella and how she had been so undeserving of one. The blonde nodded her head once and the teen got up slowly from her seat, just in case the vampire changed her mind.

Without another word, Bella wrapped her arms around Rosalie's shoulders. There was only a brief hesitation before Rose stood and hugged Bella back. The two women shared a long moment, shared an embrace that was meant for friends, for sisters. Bella couldn’t hold back her tears any more and cried into the blondes shoulder. With Rosalie's superior height, Bella's tears soaked through her shirt. The warmth of them hit her skin and it was surprising the love she felt in every one of them.

Rose gave her sisters mate a moment before telling her that it was alright. That everything was better now.

"I'm so sorry Rosalie. For everything you suffered, for your continued pain." Bella took a deep breath.

"I can safely tell you that I have no regrets, no delusions about what would come with my change. The only thing I fear is that Alice won't change me at all, and you all have to watch me grow old and feeble. I couldn’t take it if Alice had to continue existing without me. I love her, I love all of you with every fiber of my being." She paused, looking over at Alice with loving eyes.

"You all have so much love to give. You have hearts, you have souls. You still feel love even though its stopped beating. Look at all of the couples here."

Rosalie looks to her mother and father. The ones that gave her a second chance at life. Even though Carlisle's motives were selfish at first, he still took her in and showed her the ways of being a vampire. One that didn’t kill humans for food.

Then she turned her gaze to Edward and Tanya. At first Edward was ashamed at what he had become, just like Rosalie had. Then as time went by, he became the brother she needed. The friend that she could turn to in times of need. With the brooding, the hymning and hawing about his cursed nature, he found the one person he couldn’t live without. Tanya made him a better man. Tanya saw his humanity and his love. With her being a succubus for so long, she saw the better qualities in the dark brooding telepath. Edward saw the inner beauty, the humor, the intelligence, the protectiveness that his mate possessed for her family, for her coven.

Then she looked to the only man she has ever loved. The big hulking teddy bear. The vampire with a heart of gold. Mr. Emmett McCarty. There was so much that she could say about him. How his innocent dimples and curly hair reminded him so much of Vera's child, Henry. How he had so much love and affection for other people that it seemed unfair to keep it all to herself. The blonde knew that she should renew her marriage to him but couldn’t find the time to. Rosalie loved Emmett with all of her heart, all of her very being. Emmett loved being a vampire, he couldn’t find any flaw within this great gift. He saw the beauty and innocence in everything this world had to offer.

Rosalie felt the water in her eyes become too much. She went over to her husband and hugged him tightly to her. If there was one thing that this existence gave her it was Emmett Cullen. She found that she wouldn’t change any of it.

Emmett held his wife close to his chest and let her lean into him for support and love. When he went in the forest that day by his home in Gatlinburg, he had no clue that he would be mauled by a bear. He was out hunting that day and saw the hulking creature by a tree. He figured that he had the perfect shot with his rifle, but he had been wrong. He missed it by a fraction of a hair. The bear was not forgiving.

He could remember feeling the sharp teeth in his body, piercing his lungs. He remember the pain he felt as he was dying, but then an angel came and brought him to God who saved him. Saved him so that he could give so much love to the world. Emmett was sad when he could no longer see his human parents or his siblings, but all of the negativity went away as he looked into the golden eyes of the one who gave him a second chance.

"I love you Rose." Emmett said kissing the top of her golden locks.

Rosalie buried her nose in his chest and took in his comforting scent. Everything fell away after that, the tension in her body, the negativity in her heart and in her mind. It all washed away with the smell of her husband.

"I love you too, my big teddy bear.

Emmett's large hands came around her cheeks then and brought her in for a sweet kiss. One full of promises and joy.

Once it was finished, Rosalie turned her eyes back to Bella, who was now accompanied by her own mate. She looked to the two of them and finally realized that nothing could keep them apart. Alice took Bella's hand in her own and held it tightly to her chest for a moment before bringing it to her mouth and kissing the palm.

"I think I understand you a bit better now, Bella Swan." Rosalie said still holding onto Emmett.

"I think we understand each other a bit better Rose." Bella agreed before sitting back down with Alice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise the next chapter will be back in Forks this time. No more deviations from the plot. Back to Rachel and Kate fluffiness next.


End file.
